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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
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https://archive.org/details/worksofartbricabOObart 


INTRODUCTION. 


We  think  we  can  safely  say,  that  but  few  mortals  can, 
without  disguising  their  most  faithful  impressions,  resist 
the  desire  to  admire  the  numerous  productions  which  of 
late  years  have  been  the  result  of  decorative  art !  We 
seem  possessed  by  an  irresistible  desire  to  secure  some  of 
the  thousand  and  one  so  charming  objects  of  ornament, 
which  make  our  homes  so  attractive,  and  which  we  see 
exposed,  with  so  much  taste,  in  the  shop  windows  on  our 
most  fashionable  streets.  Those  innumerable  works  of 
art  on  wood,  on  glass,  on  bronze,  on  porcelain,  ivory  and 
other  materials  both  natural  and  artificial,  seem  to  have 
become,  thanks  to  the  refinement  in  our  tastes  and  to  the 
general  improvement  in  our  ideas,  the  indispensable 
companions  of  our  most  elegant  residences.  Nothing  is 
more  imposing,  more  elegant,  more  decorative,  in  fact 
more  instructive,  than  a  large  collection  of  bric-a-brac,  in 
which  the  forms  are  exquisite,  classical  and  fantastic, 're¬ 
minding  and  at  the  same  time  representing  to  us  nature’s 
magnificence,  the  elevation  of  our  sentiments,  past  history, 
and  the  grandeur  of  our  attainments,  etc.,  etc. 

The  rigid  outlines  and  the  simplicity  of  their  design, 
the  radiance  of  the  colors,  the  reflection  of  the  enamel  and 
the  profusion  of  precious  metals  with  which  they  are 
decorated,  all  seem  to  make  them  assimilative  to  our  tastes 
and  to  our  most  varied  wants.  The  woman  of  the  world, 
the  enthusiastic  amateur,  even  the  scientific  searcher,  all 
have  devoted  some  attention,  some  of  their  time  and 
savings,  to  this  most  interesting  study.  Rejoicing  as  we 
do  at  the  sight  of  our  collections,  the  fruit  often  of  much 
patient  labor,  and  sometimes  even  of  great  pecuniary 
sacrifice,  how  very  severe  is  our  chagrin  when,  by  careless¬ 
ness  or  some  accident,  the  hand  of  destruction  upsets  one 
or  another  of  our  precious  works. 

It  is  mainly  to  enable  the  amateur  to  himself  repair  in 
the  best  possible  manner  the  unfortunate  accidents  occur¬ 
ring  daily,  that  the  author  has  undertaken  to  publish  this 
modest  work. 

The  growing  interest  in  the  study,  as  well  as  the  collec- 

(3) 


4 


INTRODUCTION. 


tion  of  ceramic  works,  leads  ns  to  hope  that  this  book  will 
meet  with  a  kind  reception  from  the  public,  whose  constant 
encouragement  has  so  ably  helped  us  whilst  working, 
almost  incessantly  inspired  by  the  idea  of  offering  sug¬ 
gestions  which  will  prove  useful  and  practical  to  the  amateur. 

It  is  deeply  to  be  regretted  that  workmen  of  estab¬ 
lished  reputation — in  fact,  real  artists — under  the  influence 
of  ideas  belonging  to  a  former  age,  have  thought  it  their 
duty  to  conceal  the  means  by  which  they  have  attained 
their  success  and  recognition.  Not  worthy  of  the  grati¬ 
tude  of  their  colleagues,  they  have  encouraged  the  many 
mediocre  attempts  of  those  who,  having  no  other  aim  but 
that  of  gain,  have  left  but  too  plainly  the  mark  of  their 
imbecility  upon  rare  and  valuable  objects. 

Not  being  a  professional  writer,  and  much  less  one  “  de 
race,”  we  ask  to  be  excused  for  the  lack  of  attractiveness 
or  the  want  of  shape  some  parts  of  our  work  will  present 
to  the  interested  reader ;  but  we  have  tried  our  best  to 
make  up  for  that  deficiency  by  the  close  attention  we  have 
paid  to  every  branch  relating  to  this  fascinating  occupa¬ 
tion.  It  has  been  our  aim  to  generalize  little  facts  that 
have  been  unnoticed,  overlooked,  or  intentionally  ignored 
by  other  essayists  on  the  same  subject ;  and  should  some 
of  our  readers  not  prove  competent  to  accomplish  much 
work  by  themselves,  it  will  enable  everyone  to  under¬ 
stand  and  to  judge,  no  matter  how  dangerously  injured 
are  the  sick,  what  will  help  them  out  best,  and  how  com¬ 
petent  or  conscientious  have  been  the  “practical  doctois 
to  whose  care  they  have  been  intrusted.  _ 

Our  own  labors,  practical  experience,  together  with 
much  valuable  information  gathered  at  home  and  abroad, 
both  from  books  and  intercourse  with  artists  and  Clitics, 
will  justify  our  confidence  in  hoping  for  a  favorable  verdict 
of  a  public  whose  indulgence  we  earnestly  solicit.  To  the 
intelligent  man,  the  work  of  restoration  becomes  a  very 
pleasant  pastime  and  often  quite  a  remunerative  occupa¬ 
tion.  He  needs  neither  the  genius  of  the  designer  or 
painter,  nor  the  talents  of  the  sculptor,  though  practically 
he  may  borrow  from  these  fine  arts.  Variety  of  resource 
is  the  root,  ingenuity  the  trunk,  and  indefatigable  persever¬ 
ance  the  crowning  glory. 


A.  BARTIIELET. 


THE 


WORKS  OF  ART 


AND 


BRIC-S-BR1C  DOCTOR. 


BY  A.  BARTHELET, 

Artist-Repairer  of  Fine  Decorative  Wares. 

A  THEORETICAL  AND  PRACTICAL  EXPOSITION  OF  ALL  THE  PRO¬ 
CESSES  EMPLOYED  IN  THE  RESTORATION  OF  FINE  ORNAMENTAL 
WARES.  THE  MOST  COMPLETE  WORK  OF  THE  KIND  YET 
PUBLISHED;  THE  ONLY  ONE  IN  THE  ENGLISH  LAN¬ 
GUAGE  ;  ACCOMPANIED  BY  “A  HELP  TO  THE 
MEMORY,"  A  HANDY  LIST  OF  THE  MOST  FAMIL¬ 
IAR  NAMES  IN  CONNECTION  WITH  CERAMICS, 

INDICATING  THEIR  SIGNIFICANCE,  THE 
LOCATION  OF  THE  FACTORIES, 

THE  DATE  OF  THEIR  ESTAB¬ 
LISHMENT,  THE  NA¬ 
TURE  OF  THEIR 
PRODUCTS,  ETC. 


Sllnstrateb. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

PUBLISHED  FOR  THE  AUTHOR, 

830  North  Tenth  St. 

New  York  ;  London  ;  Paris. 

18S4. 


AUTHOR’S  NOTE. 


This  work,  based  on  purely  scientific  principles,  is 
entirely  reliable;  for  it  is  an  unrestricted  account  of  what 
has  been  taught  by  a  long  practical  experience,  aided  by 
diversified  knowledge. 

Distant  amateurs,  anxious  to  get  advice  or  supplementary 
eXp!  , nations,  will  find  their  letters  welcomed  and  promptly 
answered ;  and  parties  applying  personally  will  confer  a 
special  favor  on 


830  N.  10th  St.,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


Copyrighted,  1884,  by  A.  Barthelel. 


THE  GETTY  CENTER 

LIBRARY 


THE  DOCTOR 


I. — Cleaning  the  Pieces. 

Before  undertaking  the  description  of  our 
processes,  we  once  more  beg  to  solicit  the 
closest  attention  from  our  readers.  We  shall 
try  to  repeat  ourselves  as  little  as  possible, 
but  we  think  proper  to  insist  on  the  very 
punctual  fulfilment  of  our  directions.  For 
instance,  if  we  should  say,  Get  your  pieces 
cleaned ;  to  many  it  would  seem  sufficient, 
indicating  something  they  know  well  enough 
how  to  do ;  some  even  would  feel  quite  of¬ 
fended  at  a  recommendation  we  had  no  need 
to  make.  Still,  practice  showed  us  the  im¬ 
portance  of  little  things ,  and  the  reason  why 
so  many  persons  have  failed  in  performing 
the  easiest  part  of  the  work — the  putting  to¬ 
gether  of  the  broken  parts.  It  was  not  so 
much  on  account  of  not  having  had  the  best 
cement,  or  lacking  the  necessary  patience ;  but 
by  not  having  brought  in  the  cleaning  part, 
the  nicety  therein  required. 

It  is  of  great  importance  to  have,  as  ex¬ 
actly  as  possible,  all  the  pieces  of  the  broken 
articles ;  therefore,  at  the  time  of  the  accident, 


6 


CLEANING  THE  PIECES. 


care  should  be  taken  to  pick  them  all  up,  even 
the  smallest  ones,  and  to  keep  them  in  a  box, 
the  largest  ones  wrapped  in  soft  paper,  the 
repairing  being  the  more  difficult  when  the 
sharp  edges  have  been  destroyed  by  rub¬ 
bing  or  unnecessary  handling. 

Not  one  piece  of  fine  ware  will  ever  be 
neatlyjoined  together  again,  and  consequently 
strongly  fastened  and  likely  to  remain  so,  if 
the  broken  portions  are  not  entirely  freed 
from  dust,  bruised  enamel,  loose  small  chips, 
grease,  or  any  foreign  substance. 

It  is  especially  when  it  has  been  previously 
repaired  that  extra  care  should  be  bestowed 
upon  it;  the  glue,  cement,  paint,  etc.,  should 
be  carefully  scraped  off,  or  better,  dissolved 
by  some  one  of  the  processes  given  hereafter. 

Any  piece  of  bisque,  marble,  china,  glass 
and  alabaster  will  always  be  benefited  by  a 
thorough  cleansing,  proceeding  with  caution 
should  the  article  have  been  previously  re¬ 
paired  ;  portions  repaired  not  being  sup¬ 
posed  to  stand  soaking  in  water.  The  above 
substances  can,  in  general,  be  subjected  to 
the  same  treatment;  except  however,  some 
kinds  of  fine  elaborate  pieces,  such  as  sepa, 
rate  flower  bouquets,  whose  colors  are  mere 
spirit  varnishes  laid  on,  and  for  some  othet 
ornaments — glass  for  instance — whose  gild- 
ino-  or  silvering,  for  want  of  adhesive  power, 
will  stand  but  gentle  treatment.  White  soap 
and  cold  water  are  first  to  be,  tried.  With  a 


CLEANING  THE  PIECES. 


7 


small  wet  brush  or  sponge  take  a  quantity  of 
soap  brought  to  a  froth  ;  and,  beginning  at  the 
top  of  the  piece  rub  evenly  all  its  parts,  renew¬ 
ing  the  application  of  the  soap  and  water  until 
the  former  remains  tolerably  white,  making  use 
of  a  stick  of  soft  wood  or  of  a  stiff  and  long¬ 
haired  pencil  for  the  deep  cavities  not  reach¬ 
able  otherwise.  Should  some  soiling  not 
yield  to  the  soap,  as  is  the  case  with  wax, 
old  paint,  varnishes,  etc.,  touch  these  spots 
with  concentrated  lye  dissolved  in  about  fifty 
parts  of  boiling  water,  or  with  a  strong  solu¬ 
tion  of  washing  soda,  using  a  little  stick  of 
soft  wood,  if  necessary.  In  case  some  parts 
have  been  already  repaired  with  putty — a 
substance,  by  the  way,  that  gives  the  most 
unsightly  results,  that  it  would  be  pref¬ 
erable  to  do  over — the  said  parts  should  be 
maintained  for  about  24  hours  in  a  bath  con¬ 
taining  the  strong  proportion  of  potash  de¬ 
scribed,  occasionally  helping  the  progress  of 
disintegration  by  carefully  passing  a  fine  steel 
blade  between  the  seams.  Owing  to  the 
strong  dissolving  properties  of  potash,  it  will 
be  well  not  to  expose  the  hands  in  the  liquid 
longer  than  absolutely  required,  washing 
them  off  after  every  contact  with  it ;  beware 
also  of  the  wearing  apparel.  When  the  articles 
have  to  remain  for  some  time  in  the  liquid, 
none  but  vessels  of  china,  glass,  stoneware  or 
pottery  well  enameled,  should  be  used.  The 
article  being  judged  sufficiently  clean,  is  well 


8 


CLEANING  THE  PIECES. 


rinsed  out  in  several  waters,  and  set  on  a  folded 
towel  or  receptacle  to  drain  its  water,  in  a 
place  free  from  dust;  all  the  dampness  or 
water  remaining  in  the  deep  indentations 
being  sponged  out  with  small  white  rags. 
Alabaster  and  some  kinds  of  marbles,  being 
softened  by  water,  will  require  handling 
accordingly.  In  cleaning  pieces  of  these 
materials,  rubbing  all  over  is  preferable 
to  soaking,  which  most  likely  would  affect 
the  plaster  with  which  these  ornaments  are 
generally  put  together. 

In  spite  of  the  above  treatment,  should  the 
piece  present  yet  some  foreign  adhesive  sub¬ 
stances,  these  very  likely  are  of  the  gummy 
or  resinous  kind.  By  exposing  the  parts 
before  a  bright  fire,  or  above  the  chimney  of 
a  lamp,  or  better,  at  the  flame  of  a  spirit 
lamp,  the  substance  will  soften  and  can  easily 
be  rubbed  off  with  a  coarse  piece  of  rag ; 
then,  passing  over  the  place,  while  yet  warm, 
another  piece  of  rag  wet  with  alcohol  or 
spirits  of  turpentine,  the  piece  will  be  found 
to  have  recovered  its  absolute  cleanliness. 
Spots  on  hard  and  undecorated  material,  not 
enameled,  can  be  removed  by  rubbing  with 
a  wet  piece  of  pumice  stone,  or  any  fine  sharp¬ 
ening  water-stone.  On  enameled  and  deco¬ 
rated  china  or  bisque  ware,  ink  stains  are 
removed  with  hydrochloric  (muriatic)  acid; 
and  places  that  burned  substances  have 
blackened  will  be  restored  by  using  sul- 


CLEANING  THE  PIECES. 


9 


phuric  acid ;  of  course  these  latter  sub¬ 
stances  should  be  employed  only  by  careful 
persons,  and  the  portions  touched  with  them 
are  to  be  rinsed  out  in  water. 

The  treatment  of  the  articles  made  of  softer 
and  more  porous  materials,  such  as  plaster, 
clay,  terra-cotta,  earthen  wares,  etc.,  require 
closer  attention  ;  the  salts  of  potash  or  soda 
remaining  in  the  substance,  especially  under 
the  glazing,  being  a  great  obstacle  to  the 
execution  of  the  cementing,  their  affinity  for 
water  preventing  the  thorough  drying  of  the 
glue,  and  the  salts  acting  in  different  ways  on 
the  cements  or  colors  employed  in  the  com¬ 
pletion  of  the  work.  It  is  evident  that  no 
strong  potash  or  soda  should  be  made  use 
of  for  pieces  of  plaster,  clay  or  terra-cotta 
painted  in  oil,  nor  soaking  in  water  allowed, 
unless  one’s  purpose  is  to  remove  entirely  the 
said  paint  from  the  surface.  As  for  the  arti¬ 
cles  of  the  other  class  on  which  potash  has 
been  applied,  it  is  necessary  that,  after  having 
been  treated  as  directed  for  china  or  bisque, 
they  should  be  boiled  in  water  a  certain 
amount  of  time,  or  at  least  soaked  in  boiling 
water,  in  order  to  remove  as  much  as  possi¬ 
ble  of  the  salt  contained  therein.  This  being 
done  they  are  set  in  a  moderately  warm  oven 
until  they  are  thoroughly  dried.  If,  when 
taken  out  of  the  oven,  some  salty  deposit 
appears  at  the  broken  edges,  or  through 
some  imperfect  part  of  the  enamel,  the  soak- 


IO 


CLEANING  THE  PIECES. 


ing  in  water  should  be  done  once  more  and 
the  piece  dried  as  before. 

If  not  to  be  cemented  together  at  once, 
the  pieces  are  put  in  a  box,  or  better,  wrapped 
in  separate  papers. 

II. — Fine  and  Coarse  Work. 

The  work  of  repairing,  in  countries  where 
it  is  extensively  carried  on,  consists  of  two 
distinct  sorts  of  occupations.  The  line 
drawn  between  them  can  easily  be  explained 
by  the  reason  that  some  of  these  wares  are 
acquired  and  kept  as  mere  pieces  of  ornament, 
curious  relics,  or  valued  by  us  on  account 
of  the  recollections  their  possession  call 
forth;  while  others  are  intended  for  daily 
use. 

In  this  book,  particularly  devoted  to  the 
collector’s  or  amateur’s  use,  we  want,  above 
all,  to  tell  how  to  restore  articles  in  the  most 
perfect  and  unnoticeable  way,  regardless  of 
the  uses  for  which  some  of  them  have  been 
intended.  There  only  exists  the  genuine 
art,  and  the  one  who  adopts  it  as  his  special 
calling  is  a  works-of-art  restorer. 

Our  readers  will  very  soon  understand,  by 
the  nature  of  the  cement  which  an  article 
will  join  with,  what  amount  of  external 
influence  it  will  be  likely  to  resist  unim¬ 
paired.  Amid  the  number  of  cement  receipts 
we  give  in  the  following  chapters,  ample  op¬ 
portunity  will  be  offered  to  choose  one  that 


FINE  AND  COARSE  WORK.  I  I 

will  answer  the  purpose,  and  combine  as  far 
as  possible  strength  with  good  appearances. 
However,  it  should  be  remembered  that 
articles  repaired,  on  which  missing  parts  had 
to  be  provided  for,  or  on  which  paint,  of 
whatever  kind,  has  been  applied,  require 
judicious  care  if  put  into  further  use,  referring 
specially  to  the  bringing  of  them  in  close 
contact  with  water.  They  will  always  be 
more  or  less  damaged,  and  their  subsequent 
use  is  not  to  be  attempted  without  risks. 

The  china  mender  differs  from  the  former 
for  the  reason  that  his  assistance  is  espe¬ 
cially  required  for  articles  destined  for  con¬ 
stant  use,  such  as  dishes,  pitchers,  lids,  flower¬ 
pots,  fountains,  garden  seats  and  other  articles 
of  coarser  description. 

Strength  and  durability,  united  with  cheap¬ 
ness  of  workmanship  and  promptness  of 
execution,  are  sought  for  to  the  exclusion  of 
any  other  consideration.  His  work  is  more 
of  the  mechanical  kind,  requiring  but  a  few 
tools,  and  a  very  limited  amount  of  knowl¬ 
edge. 

The  three  substances  he  is  especially  ac¬ 
quainted  with  are  plaster,  gum  shellac,  and 
some  kinds  of  white  putty.  The  joining  by 
means  of  clasps  or  rivets  is  his  specialty, 
and  very  seldom  does  he  pay  attention  to  the 
lock  of  his  work.  For  want  of  training,  which 
would  little  benefit  his  work,  he  seldom  in¬ 
dulges  in  the  use  of  colors,  the  more  to  his 


12  A  CEMENT  NOT  VET  DISCOVERED. 

credit,  and  the  better  for  his  customers’ 
wares. 

III. — A  Cement  not  yet  Discovered. 

It  is  said  of  a  German  alchemist,  the  Baron 
de  Botticher,  living  in  the  early  part  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  that  he  was  wise  enough 
to  abandon  his  fruitless  investigations  about 
the  philosopher’s  stone  (the  great  problem 
of  that  time),  and  to  turn  his  attention 
towards  the  study  and  manufacture  of  china, 
with  which  his  name  is  now  so  intimately 
and  so  eminently  connected. 

Some  comparison  could  be  established 
between  this  celebrated  scientist  and  some 
of  our  modern  inventors  of  china  mucilage, 
with  this  difference,  however,  that  they  all 
claim  to  have  succeeded  (read  their  advertise¬ 
ments)  in  the  discovery  of  a  ceramic  cement, 
their  philosopher's  stone,  while,  in  fact,  they 
do  not  evince  much  knowledge  (see  the 
nature  of  their  compounds)  about  either  the 
composition  of  china  itself,  or  the  nature 
of  the  ingredients  they  use,  to  back  up  the 
gross  misrepresentation  they  impose  upon 
the  believers  in  their  so-called  discoveries. 

So  far  as  we  have  been  able  to  ascertain 
by  repeated  trials  on  many  samples,  and 
however  improved  these  glues  may  be,  they 
seem  to  answer  very  poorly  to  stick  fast  either 
the  china  or  the  names  of  their  authors  in 
the  annals  of  history. 


A  CEMENT  NOT  YET  DISCOVERED.  1 3 

To  deserve  the  qualification  of  ceramic,  a 
cement  ought  to  possess  very  extraordinary 
qualities. 

1st.  It  must  be  a  mere  liquid  ;  for  the  solid 
particles  it  would  contain,  whatever  the  de¬ 
gree  of  their  tenuity,  and  especially  when  a 
number  of  pieces  are  to  be  joined  in  a  small 
space,  would  make  volume  and  prevent  the 
juxtaposition  of  the  last  pieces,  thus  forming 
a  ridge  at  the  edges  of  the  articles,  on  its 
surface  sometimes,  showing  a  lack  of  con¬ 
tinuity  in  the  lines  of  the  ornaments  or  design. 
It  would  be  most  objectionable  to  fine  work. 

2d.  It  must  be  colorless  and  not  contain 
dangerous  ingredients,  neither  acids  nor 
alkalies,  liable  to  alter  the  substances  the 
article  is  destined  to  contain,  or  to  be  altered 
by  them  ;  among  the  latter  being  principally 
water,  fruit  acids,  fatty  or  alkaline  matters; 
to  say  nothing  of  the  resistance  to  a  steady 
temperature  of  at  least  that  of  boiling  water. 

3d.  It  must  form  no  insoluble  deposit,  ex¬ 
cept  such  as  can  be  easily  removed  by  the 
use  of  chemicals  of  moderate  cost,  for,  in 
case  of  failure  in  the  first  application  of  it, 
the  article  would  be  irremediably  lost,  espe¬ 
cially  if  any  quantity  of  it  should  spill  or 
drop  on  the  outer  part  of  a  fine  and  costly 
piece. 

4th.  It  must  not  evaporate  too  quickly, 
nor  take  too  long  to  dry  ;  not  be  too  thin  nor 
too  thick ;  be  harmless  to  the  operator,  keep 
good,  be  handy,  be  cheap  in  price,  etc.,  etc. 


A  CEMENT  NOT  YET  DISCOVERED. 


In  short,  to  meet  the  requirements,  it 
should  possess  all  the  remarkable  resisting 
qualities  of  enamel,  without  requiring  the 
great  care  and  experience  necessary  for  the 
preparation  and  application  of  the  latter  on 
pottery  not  already  cracked  or  broken. 

We  shall  always  be  found  ready  to  help 
the  searcher,  for  indeed  we  think  the  discov¬ 
ery  worth  while  to  be  made.  After  having 
set  forth  the  reasons  why  the  numerous 
cement  preparations  fall  short  of  their  re¬ 
quirements,  we  hardly  need  to  say  that  one 
cement  cannot  answer  all  the  ends  of  the  re¬ 
storer. 

If  adhesive  to  a  hard  and  unsoakable  sub¬ 
stance,  as  china,  glass,  or  metal,  surely  it  will 
not  work  in  like  manner  on  such  all-absorb¬ 
ing  materials  as  wood  or  plaster — a  porous 
substance  requiring  a  thicker  glue  than  a 
nonporous  one,  thus  offering  more  chances 
for  a  lasting  piece  of  work. 

Were  we  in  possession  of  such  an  arti¬ 
cle,  so  much  sought  after — a  stick-all-fast 
cement — how  limited  would  be  the  use  that 
could  be  made  of  it?  It  would  certainly  be 
the  thing  for  a  piece  merely  cracked,  or  whose 
parts  are  neatly  broken,  and  but  few  in  num¬ 
ber.  Unfortunately  enough,  hard  bodies 
produce  generally  a  great  number  of  them, 
often  too  small  to  be  advantageously  utilized. 
Some  of  them,  being  bruised  or  lost,  are  to  be 
provided  for  by  artificial  substances,  which 


A  CEMENT  NOT  YET  DISCOVERED.  1 5 

themselves,  in  their  turn,  must  be  painted, 
decorated  or  glossed,  to  match  the  adjacent 
parts. 

Therefore  we  ought  not  to  be  too  much  dis¬ 
tressed  and  so  particular  about  the  perfect¬ 
ness  of  the  cement,  having  happily,  a  num¬ 
ber  of  handy  substances  that  will  answer 
our  purpose,  at  least  so  far  as  our  work  is 
confined  to  purely  ornamental  wares. 


IV. — Cementing  Work. 

Being  ready  to  join  together  the  pieces, 
we  free  them  from  dust,  and,  if  operating  on 
small  ones,  we  spread  them  out  on  a  piece 
of  white  paper  and  arrange  them  in  their 
respective  order.  It  is  preferable  to  start 
with  the  larger  ones  ;  and,  if  parts  of  a  piece 
that  has  a  base,  we  begin  with  the  pieces  of 
that  lower  part.  We  will  suppose  it  is  a 
piece  of  china,  for  which  we  use  the  prepared 
glue.  Before  using  any  glue,  we  try  the 
fitting  of  a  few  pieces,  and  having  ascertained 
that  they  fit  absolutely  close,  we  spread  over 
both  edges  a  thin  coat  of  cement  by  means 
of  a  small  brush,  following  closely  the  pro¬ 
gress  of  it  so  as  to  pick  out  any  impurity  it 
might  leave  behind  in  the  glue,  in  spite  of 
our  efforts  to  have  it  perfectly  clean.  With¬ 
out  giving  the  cement  time  to  dry  or  even 
to  cool,  we  press  them  gently  together, 


l6  CEMENTING  WORK. 

watching  the  extremities,  pressing  gradually, 
until  we  are  sure  they  fit  well.  This  may  be 
ascertained  by  the  lines  of  the  decoration  and 
by  passing  the  finger  nail  across  the  seam, 
holding  both  pieces  vertically;  no  ridge 
should  be  felt  if  in  their  proper  place ;  then 
they  are  left  one  side  to  dry  partially. 

The  pot  containing  the  glue  should  be 
kept  in  a  warm  place  or  deposited  in  a  ves¬ 
sel  containing  some  warm  water;  it  must 
not  be  hot,  but  just  warm  enough  to  keep 
the  glue  in  a  liquid  condition.  The  small 
pencil  or  brush  is  to  be  kept  free  from  lumps, 
and  the  glue  maintained  in  good  liquid  order 
by  adding  a  little  warm  water  when  becom¬ 
ing  evaporated.  During  cold  weather  the 
work  should  be  done  in  a  warm  room,  to 
avoid  the  glue  getting  chilled  on  application. 
Some  persons  heat  the  pieces  or  work  at  the 
side  of  a  stove,  so  as  to  pass  the  pieces  over 
it  at  the  time  of  joining,  sometimes  using 
but  a  small  spirit  lamp.  In  adding  the 
pieces,  care  should  be  taken  not  to  leave  any 
small  china  particles  behind,  for  by  trying  to 
press  them  in  afterwards,  it  would  loosen  the 
more  important  parts ;  also,  not  to  spread 
the  glue  to  the  very  end  of  the  edges  ;  for  by 
being  squeezed  out  it  would  form  a  lump  at 
the  angles  and  prevent  the  good  setting  of 
the  subsequent  pieces.  Attention  is  to  be 
paid  to  the  order  in  which  they  ought  to  be 
placed,  for  some,  by  their  peculiar  shape, 


CEMENTING  WORK. 


17 

would  prevent  the  setting  of  the  following 
ones.  Having  put  together  a  few,  we  give 
them  time  to  dry  partially,  say  fifteen  min¬ 
utes.  If  it  is  a  flat  piece,  we  lay  it  vertically 
in  a  secure  position;  if,  on  the  contrary, 
deep,  round,  oval  or  square,  we  tie  a  string 
several  times  around  it.  Then  we  proceed 
to  the  remaining  parts,  making  use  again  of 
glue,  but  after  being  well  aware  how  the 
pieces  fit  in  their  dry  state. 

When  the  whole  is  united  together,  the 
article  is  left  to  dry  for  24  hours ;  after  that 
time  the  glue  squeezed  from  the  joined  parts 
is  scraped  off  with  a  penknife,  and,  in  order 
not  to  leave  the  least  amount  of  it  along  the 
seams,  a  clean  white  rag,  just  moist  with 
water,  is  passed  over  them,  lengthwise. 
Being  set  aside  a  couple  of  hours  more,  the 
piece  is  ready  for  the  filling  up.  (See  Chap¬ 
ter  XVI.) 

V. — Different  Cements — Prepared  Glue. 

Of  all  the  cements  that  are  compounded, 
glue  is  still  the  most  serviceable  and  the 
most  universally  employed.  The  facility  of 
its  preparation,  its  liquidity,  transparency,  its 
adhesiveness  to  almost  any  substance,  the 
readiness  with  which  it  works  at  almost  or¬ 
dinary  temperature,  are  so  many  reasons 
that  entitle  it  to  that  preference.  It  answers 
equally  well  for  porcelain,  bisque,  marble, 
glass  and  wood  ;  for  this  latter,  however,  it  is 


1  8  DIFFERENT  CEMENTS — PREPARED  GLUE. 


preferable  to  make  it  somewhat  thicker  and 
to  use  it  as  warm  as  possible. 

To  prepare  it :  Get  glue  of  the  best  qual¬ 
ity,  and  as  colorless  as  possible,  and  an 
equal  quantity  of  white  gelatine;  put  these 
in  a  vase  of  cold  water  to  swell  up  for  24 
hours ;  then,  pouring  out  the  water  not  ab¬ 
sorbed,  let  the  remaining  glue  boil  for  two 
hours  in  a  water  bath ;  it  will  become  clear 
and  will  acquire  the  proper  consistency.  In 
this  condition  the  glue  would  have  the  incon¬ 
venience  of  drying  too  quickly  by  contact 
with  the  air,  and  its  adhesion  to  smooth  sur¬ 
faces  would  not  last  long.  To  delay  the 
drying  of  it,  a  little  glycerine  is  added  (one 
hundredth  part) ;  and  in  order  to  prevent  the 
glue  from  getting  mouldy,  so  as  to  spoil,  a 
little  carbolic  acid  is  added,  say  two  drops 
of  acid  to  the  ounce  of  liquid  glue,  thoroughly 
mixed  with  it  before  it  becomes  hardened  by 

cooling.  .  ,  c 

Acetic  acid  can  be  used  instead  of  car¬ 
bolic  acid  ;  in  that  case  twenty  drops  of  acid 
to  the  fluid  ounce  will  answer  the  purpose.  It 
will  be  remarked  that  the  action  of  the  acetic 
acid  on  the  glue  renders  the  latter  more 
soluble.  If  five  ounces  of  dry  glue  are  dis¬ 
solved  in  six  ounces  of  pure  acetic  acid  by 
stirring  well  or  using  gentle  heat ;  and  it, 
the  solution  being  effected,  we  add  to  it  thiee 
ounces  of  glycerine,  we  shall  obtain  one  of  the 
strongest  mixtures  that  can  be  manufactured 


DIFFERENT  CEMENTS - PREPARED  GLUE.  1 9 

with  glue.  It  is  an  article  somewhat  of  that 
composition  that  has  been  so  extensively- 
advertised  as  “  London  Stratena.” 

But  practice  has  shown  us  the  little  benefit 
to  be  derived  from  such  compounds ;  not 
only  is  it  too  viscous  and  not  more  water¬ 
proof  than  any  other  glue  of  mere  water 
vehicle,  but  we  have  found  the  strong-  acid 
very  objectionable  in  our  special  way  of 
dealing  with  fine  work ;  besides,  the  large 
quantity  of  glycerine  contained  therein  not 
only  counteracts  the  power  of  the  glue  itself, 
but  prevents  the  whole  from  drying  within 
a  reasonable  amount  of  time. 

A  few  persons  have  thought  that  the  mix¬ 
ture  with  ordinary  glue,  of  oils,  balsams, 
and  rosin  even,  would  render  the  cement 
water-proof  to  some  extent.  The  least  appli¬ 
cation  of  warm  water  to  the  articles  joined 
with  those  emulsions  shows  the  ridiculous¬ 
ness  of  the  assumption.  The  addition  of 
these  substances  only  adds  to  the  thickness 
and  opacity  of  the  cement,  at  the  very  great 
expense  of  its  adhesive  qualities.  Theory 
and  practice  amply  demonstrate  the  inef¬ 
ficacy  of  the  admixture;  it  is  much  more 
rational  to  cover  the  cemented  seams  with  a 
coat  of  some  substantial  varnish. 

VI. — Silicate  of  Potash. 

Here  is  another  substance  which  has 
been  sold  and  represented  as  possessing 


20 


SILICATE  OF  POTASH. 


water-proof  qualities  ;  indeed,  great  has  been 
our  surprise  to  see  it  exclusively  recom¬ 
mended  by  a  certain  otherwise  noted  author 
of  a  book  on  repairs.  We  have  given  it  a 
fair  trial,  but  have  not  found  in  it  any  of 
the  special  properties  warranting  such  a 
strong  endorsement.  . 

On  the  contrary,  we  feel  very  much  in¬ 
clined  to  discourage  its  use.  It  might  be 
said  that  silicate  of  potash  adheres  very 
strongly  and  permanently  to  glass,  porcelain, 
stone-ware,  marble,  even  to  metals  ;  in  fact,  to 
any  nonporous  substance ;  that  it  will  stand 
dry  heat,  even  to  the  red-heat  point,  and  that 
its  adhesiveness  on  glass  is  remarkable ;  but, 
very  unfortunately,  when  exposed  to  damp¬ 
ness,  the  pieces  so  joined  fall  apart  most 
easily,  owing  to  the  strong  proportion  of 
potash  it  contains,  whose  affinity  for  water 
is  known  to  all.  When  laid  on  a  porous 
substance,  it  is  as  readily  absorbed  by  it  as 
mere  water,  leaving  nothing  or  nearly  noth¬ 
ing  at  the  surface.  In  order  to  remedy  this 
last  defect,  some  persons  have  mixed  with  it 
some  insoluble  powder,  such  as  piaster, 
baryta,  ground  glass,  whiting,  etc.  Ihis 
renders  it  still  more  objectionable,  as.  we 
have  explained  already,  in  the  previous 
chapter,  how  these  coarse  powders  by  then- 
presence  prevent  the  necessary  close  union 
of  the  pieces.  These  are  the  special  reasons 
why  we  condemn  its  use:  ist.  The  silicate 


SILICATE  OF  POTASH. 


21 


of  potash  (or  of  soda)  dries  instantly  by  ex¬ 
posure  to  the  air,  and  forms  at  once  a 
crystalline  pellicle  that  must  be  broken  or 
bruised  to  allow  the  pressing  close  of  the 
corresponding  piece.  The  quickness  with 
which  it  must  be  handled  gives  at  best  but 
a  very  doubtful  result.  It  cannot  be  used 
on  large  surfaces  on  account  of  affording 
no  time  for  the  wetting  of  the  edges  with 
it,  for  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  spread  the 
the  silicate  on  both  of  them.  2d.  Its  action 
on  enamel  or  glass  is  very  corrosive,  and  if 
the  seams  are  not  scrupulously  cleaned  at 
once,  which  is  most  unhandy,  it  will  helpless¬ 
ly  corrode  the  outside  surface  of  the  article. 
Should  the  first  attempt  not  be  successful, 
it  leaves  a  deposit  of  silice  in  the  grain  that 
is  most  difficult  to  remove  sufficiently  for  a 
subsequent  repairing.  3d.  When  the  silicate 
is  mixed  with  powder  it  produces  a  paste  that 
will  harden  extremely  at  the  surface,  but 
whose  under  portions  will  remain  in  a  soft 
condition,  for  need  of  the  necessary  air  to 
harden,  as  would  any  liquid  in  a  tightly 
corked  bottle.  On  porous  substances  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  make  any  use  of  the 
mixture,  and,  we  repeat,  it  is  only  on  glass 
or  on  wares  of  coarse  description  that  the 
liquid  silicate  should  be  used,  with  the 
greatest  possible  neatness,  care  and  speed¬ 
iness.  A  specialty  has  been  made  of  the 
mixture,  which  is  found  on  the  market  put 


22 


GUM  ARABIC  OR  ACACIA. 


up  in  twin  bottles  ;  in  one  is  the  silicate,  the 
other  contains  the  powder — baryta  or  white 
marble  dust.  The  best  powder  to  be  mixed 
with  it  would  be  ground  glass. 

VII. — Gum  Arabic  or  Acacia. 

By  no  means  can  a  mere  solution  of  gum 
acacia  be  made  to  adhere  any  length  of  time 
and  hold  together  pieces  of  china  or  glass ; 
but  if  not  good  for  cementing,  the  product 
is  very  useful  in  the  repairer’s  hands. 

When  mixed  in  proper  proportions  with 
some  whiting  it  will  make  a  good  paste  to 
fill  up  the  small  spaces  or  holes  left  between 
the  joined  parts  of  an  article  ;  and,  according 
to  the  proportion  of  gum  employed,  the 
paste  can  be  made  to  acquire  different 
degrees  of  toughness. 

Plaster  soaked  with  its  solution  will  harden 
considerably  and  will  receive  more  evenly 
the  paints  that  are  intended  to  be  put  on  it. 
It  will  hold  in  suspension  powdered  colors, 
and  is  the  best  recipient  for  them  when  ap¬ 
plied  on  bisque,  clay,  wood,  satin,  etc.,  not  to 
mention  its  extensive  use  for  gold-leaf  work. 
A  little  quantity  of  it  in  the  water  used  in 
mixing  plaster  will  retard  the  settling  and 
render  it  more  manageable. 

VIII. — Gum  Adragant. 

This  white  substance,  somewhat  trans- 


GUM  ADRAGANT. 


23 


parent  and  which  possesses  qualities  very 
similar  to  those  of  the  gum  acacia,  seems  to 
have  escaped  the  notice  of  the  restorer,  and 
we  think  we  are  the  first  to  mention  it ;  it  is, 
nevertheless,  susceptible  of  rendering  good 
service. 

Boiling  water  hardly  acts  upon  it,  but,  if 
exposed  in  cold  water  for  twelve  hours,  it 
absorbs  it,  and  swells  up  to  such  an  extent 
that  an  ounce  of  the  gum  will  furnish  a 
quart  (litre)  of  very  thick  mucilage. 

It  differs  from  the  gum  arabic  by  not  dis¬ 
solving  in  water,  but  merely  dividing  in  it. 
With  it  we  have  composed  a  mixture,  pos¬ 
sessing  very  lasting  properties,  and  remark¬ 
ably  good  for  clay  or  plaster  ornaments ; 
entirely  liquid,  it  affords  a  perfect  joint,  and 
pieces  mended  with  it  cannot  separate  at  the 
same  point.  It  will  not  peal  off  as  other 
water  cements  invariably  will,  and  does 
away  with  the  process  of  repairing  plaster  or 
clay  with  plaster,  heretofore  generally 
adopted,  though  most  objectionable  to  elab¬ 
orate  work. 

To  prepare  it :  1st.  Powdered  gum  adra- 
gant,  1;  glue  cement,  20;  mix  well  in  a 
mortar.  2d.  Dextrine,  3;  water,  20;  mix 
and  boil  five  minutes. 

Put  the  two  in  a  wide-mouthed  vial,  and 
add:  Glycerine,  carbolic  acid,  of  each  five 
drops :  cork  well  and  shake  the  whole 
briskly. 


24 


GUM  SHELLAC. 


IX. — Gum  Shellac. 

This  gum  is  found  at  the  druggists  in 
small  thin  sheets  of  yellowish-brown  tinge, 
more  or  less  colored  and  semitransparent. 
Soluble  only  in  strong  alcohol  or  ether, 
merely  softened  by  boiling  water,  it  remains 
unaffected  by  cold  water,  and  is  beyond 
doubt  the  best  known  natural  and  water¬ 
proof  sticking  substance  obtainable  by  the 
restorer. 

Its  adhesiveness  on  porcelain,  bisque, 
parian  marble,  clay,  marble,  metals  and  glass, 
is  perfect. 

It  is  applied  on  the  goods  in  a  dry  state, 
melting  at  the  contact  of  the  broken  edges 
of  the  pieces,  which  must  be  heated  to  a 
point  above  that  of  boiling  water.  It  must  be 
said,  however,  that  owing  to  the  heat  to  which 
the  pieces  ought  to  be  subjected,  it  becomes 
quite  difficult  to  make  use  of  it  when  a  great 
number  of  pieces  are  to  be  joined  together; 
the  heat  communicated  to  the  surrounding 
parts  softening  the  whole  work,  and  render¬ 
ing  it  entirely  unmanageable. 

Its  natural  color  also  makes  it  objection¬ 
able  to  undecorated  wares,  or  to  those 
whose  tints  are  light  and  uniform ;  but  as 
we  indicate  a  way  to  conceal  the  repair- 
ing  by  the  restoration  of  the  original  colors 
on  the  article,  that  objection  will  yield  to  the 
superior  advantages  it  possesses  over  all 
other  cements,  whenever  strength  and  lasting 


GUM  SHELLAC.  25 

qualities  are  specially  in  view.  As  it  would 
be  unhandy  to  make  use  of  the  shellac  as 
found  in  the  trade,  it  is  preferable  to  shape 
it  into  sticks ;  this  is  done  by  melting  it  in  a 
pot  or  tin  can  exposed  to  the  water-bath, 
stirring  well  until  in  one  mass  ;  then,  pouring 
the  gum  into  lukewarm  water,  it  can  be  easily 
worked,  pulling  and  rolling  it  into  sticks  of 
the  desired  size. 

When  employed  for  marble  or  deeply 
colored  glass,  a  very  small  quantity  of  color¬ 
ing  powder  will  give  it  the  approximate 
color  of  the  article  to  be  joined. 

Some  practitioners  mix  with  the  shellac 
some  sulphur  ;  it  would  certainly  be  difficult 
to  explain  the  advantage  derived  from  such 
an  addition.  Sulphur,  being  softer,  and 
more  brittle  than  the  gum,  cannot  add  any 
valuable  property,  for  it  does  not  dissolve  but 
merely  divides  in  it ;  when  strongly  heated 
the  mixture  separates  and  allows  the  melted 
parts  of  sulphur  to  float  about  as  would  drops 
of  grease  on  gravy.  The  sulphur  is  not 
beneficial,  but  is  certainly  injurious;  for  with 
it  the  shellac  is  most  easily  burned  and 
utterly  spoiled  by  the  least  contact  with  the 
flame  of  the  heating  apparatus.  Sulphur 
should  not  be  thought  of  for  clean  work  on 
white  or  slightly  colored  wares;  but  the 
habit  of  following  examples  set  or  doing  as 
told  to  do,  without  further  inquiring,  is  in 
man  s  nature,  so  it  is  not  strange  to  have  to 


26 


GUM  SHELLAC. 


expose  the  many  oddities  connected  with  a 
most  complicated  branch  of  work. 

It  will  be  well  to  remember  that  the 
white  shellac  of  the  trade  is  none  other  than 
the  ordinary  brown  shellac  boiled  in  some 
alkaline  water  until  quite  bleached ;  but,  as 
it  cannot  be  caused  to  melt  without  recov¬ 
ering  its  original  color,  it  is  much  more  ra¬ 
tional  to  use  the  plain  article.  To  soften 
the  shellac  it  will  suffice  to  mix  with  it, 
while  hot,  from  one-twentieth  to  a  tenth  of 
Canada  or  turpentine  balsam.  Sometimes, 
prepared  sticks  are  sold  under  the  above 
name,  which  are  only  a  mixture  of  gum 
mastic,  and  turpentine  balsam  (one-tenth),  to 
give  the  former  some  consistency.  We  have 
found  that  mixture  entirely  too  soft,  and  can¬ 
not  recommend  it  for  ceramics ;  another 
objection  is,  that  the  spirits  of  turpentine  of 
the  paint  finally  employed,  will  dissolve  or 
will  soften  it  considerably  more. 

If  uniting  pieces  presenting  large  surfaces, 
or  fastening  upon  the  ornaments  some  metal 
mountings,  the  softened  gum,  melting  more 
readily,  is  much  preferable,  the  article  there¬ 
by  not  being  exposed  to  any  unnecessary 
risk.  All  wares  are  not  to  be  indifferently 
subjected  to  the  same  treatment,  especially 
in  the  dry  condition,  which  allow'S  the  reach¬ 
ing  of  the  red  heat  point;  due  consideration 
is  to  be  paid  to  their  conductibility. 

The  plaster  will  not  stand  the  necessary 


GUM  SHELLAC. 


27 


heat  required  for  shellac  melting,  while  the 
baked  clay  stands  it  but  a  very  short  time  ; 
marble,  china,  or  bisque  might  support  it  well 
enough  in  a  thick  part,  but  will  invariably 
peal  off  or  crack  open,  if  a  strong  blaze  is 
directed  to  a  thin  portion  of  the  same  article. 
But  of  all  the  materials  the  restorer  becomes 
acquainted  with,  none  is  more  difficult  to 
handle  than  glass ;  experienced  hands,  even, 
not  being  always  successful  at  a  second  ap¬ 
plication  of  heat  to  that  substance. 

Whenever  heat  is  to  be  applied  to  a  piece 
of  pottery,  we  advise  to  communicate  to  the 
surrounding  parts  a  little  of  the  heat  which 
is  to  be  concentrated  on  a  given  point. 
Particularly  for  glass,  extra  care  is  to  be 
taken.  The  article  should  be  kept  over  the 
lamp  in  constant  motion,  giving,  however, 
the  part  to  be  cemented  a  little  more  time  to 
be  heated  sufficiently,  but  making  the  whole 
partake  of  the  heat  applied. 

Of  course,  we  do  not  recommend  such 
cementing  for  fine  pieces,  kept  as  mere  speci¬ 
mens,  or  for  keepsakes;  for  those,  glue  is 
certainly  the  best.  But,  with  judicious  care, 
quite  a  number  of  costly  glass  ornaments  can 
be  permanently  fixed  up,  and  many  other 
valuable  pieces  for  the  table  can  be  restored 
for  daily  use.  Gradual  exposure  to  the  heat 
of  an  ordinary  oven  is  all  that  is  required  for 
large  pieces  of  heavy  glass.  Though  any 
smokeless  flame  is  good  for  shellac  melting, 


GUM  SHELLAC. 


we  use  by  preference  an  alcohol  lamp,  pro¬ 
vided  with  a  long  tube  for  the  wick,  and 
fixed  so  as  to  reduce  the  flame  when  opera¬ 
ting  on  minute  pieces;  for  extensive  work, 
pyrolignic  acid  or  wood  alcohol  is  preferable, 
costing  but  one-third  as  much  as  the  recti¬ 
fied  liquid.  To  cement,  we  begin  with  the 
broken-off  pieces.  We  take  one  of  them, 
holding  it  by  one  end  of  the  broken  edge 
above  the  flame,  in  a  vertical  position,  so  as 
to  preserve  the  corner  we  hold  by  and  also 
not  to  get  the  piece  unnecessarily  hot  all 
over,  which  would  delay  the  work  consider¬ 
ably  and  scorch  the  fingers.  Avoid  red 
heat.  The  edge  is  sufficiently  hot  when  the 
mere  contact  of  the  stick  with  it  causes  the 
gum  to  melt  gently,  without  bubbling. 

Having  started  with  one  end,  we  coat 
carefully  and  moderately  with  the  shellac, 
proceeding  by  small  portions  in  order  to 
have  the  edges  well  covered.  Lay  that 
piece  aside  and  attend  to  the  others,  taking 
several  of  them.  When  too  small  to  be  held 
by  the  fingers,  a  pair  of  tweezers  is  necessary. 
If  when  working  on  earthen-ware  or  clay,  we 
notice  that  the  shellac  boils,  runs,  and  does 
not  adhere,  it  is  an  indication  that  the  piece 
is  greasy  or  has  been  improperly  dried. 
This  must  be  remedied  at  once. 

Taking  (one  in  each  hand)  two  correspond¬ 
ing  loose  pieces,  we  pass  their  edges  over 
the  lamp,  lengthwise,  at  the  same  time, 


GUM  SHELLAC. 


29 


allowing  an  upward  direction  to  the  flame  ; 
and,  as  soon  as  the  cement  is  remelted,  we 
press  them  gently  and  evenly  together,  keep¬ 
ing  the  seam  hot  until  a  perfect  joint  is  ef¬ 
fected.  We  hold  tight  for  one  minute,  or 
more  if  the  pieces  are  very  thick,  to  give  the 
cement  time  to  harden  a  little  by  cooling  off ; 
■and,  before  it  hardens  too  much,  we  scrape 
off  with  a  sharp  knife  the  superfluous  cement, 
so  as  to  examine  the  condition  of  the  joint. 

To  these  we  add  the  others  (if  any),  and 
manage  the  work  so  as  to  obtain  but  a  contin¬ 
uous  line  when  ready  to  join  them  to  the 
main  part  of  the  article.  The  particles  of 
gum  remaining  on  the  surface  are  removed 
by  the  aid  of  the  knife,  the  sand-paper,  and 
finally  by  the  use  of  a  clean  rag  just  moist 
with  alcohol.  This  cement  requires  no  dry¬ 
ing  and,  notwithstanding  the  long  explana¬ 
tion  we  have  indulged  in,  takes  very  little 
time  and  intelligence  to  produce  a  most  sub¬ 
stantial  job. 

The  pure  gum  shellac  is  especially  pre¬ 
cious  when  dealing  with  pieces  of  small  size, 
which,  by  their  form  and  size,  are  more 
liable  to  meet  with  accidents  ;  such  as  han¬ 
dles  of  vases  or  cups,  raised  ornaments, 
knobs  of  covers,  feet  of  vases,  etc.,  having 
but  a  little  surface  to  be  attached  to. 

It  is  the  only  substance  likely  to  hold  at 
the  edge  of  chipped  off  articles,  such  as 
plaques,  rims  of  vases,  or  sharp-angled  orna- 


GUM  SHELLAC. 


3° 

ments.  With  it  we  can  supply  those  minute 
pieces  lost  at  the  time  of  the  accident,  and 
that  a  careless  broom  has  conveyed  to  the 
dust-pan ;  among  which  are  small  flowrers, 
stems,  leaves,  little  fingers,  etc.  It  will  fill 
up  little  holes  in  a  defective  cup,  vase,  or 
pitcher  that  leaks,  and  make  stronger  than 
before  a  new  and  costly  ornament,  badly 
cracked  or  split  open  in  some  of  its  parts 
during  the  baking  process,  and  that  we 
would  not  have  been  able  to  purchase  but 
for  the  large  discount  made  on  its  price; 
such  imperfect  pieces  being  termed  in  the 
trade  as  “  seconds  ”  or  “  thirds.” 

To  fill  up  cracks  and  strengthen  bent-open 
parts,  it  is  only  necessary  to  heat  properly 
the  place,  and  by  rubbing  steadily  over  the 
crack  with  a  very  thin  stick  of  shellac,  cause 
some  of  it  to  melt,  penetrate,  and  fill  up  the 
open  space.  While  still  warm,  cut  level  the 
cement,  then  smooth  down  with  fine  sand¬ 
paper,  and  clean  with  alcohol.  This  is  the 
way  to  restore  very  unsound  wares. 

X. — Liquid  Gum  Shellac. 

It  sometimes  happens  that  we  have  to 
repair  very  large  pieces  of  terra-cotta,  stone¬ 
ware,  clay  work,  marble  statuary,  or  earthen¬ 
ware,  which,  on  account  of  their  size  and 
thickness,  cannot  be  fastened  by  the  melt¬ 
ing  process.  In  that  case  we  have  re¬ 
course  to  a  thick  solution  of  the  gum 


LIQUID  GUM  SHELLAC. 


31 


in  strong  alcohol  (gum  1,  alcohol  3),  to 
which  a  little  ether,  about  one-tenth,  is  added 
to  produce  the  evaporation.  Should  we 
have  on  hand  some  ordinary  shellac  varnish, 
we  allow  some  to  partially  evaporate  in  a 
saucer,  stirring  occasionally;  and  the  mere 
addition  of  ether  or  chloroform  is  then  re¬ 
quired.  This  cement  is  to  be  kept  in  a  glass- 
stoppered  vial,  and  the  work  must  be 
promptly  executed. 

By  the  way,  we  might  mention  that  such 
coarse  work  is  also  successfully  performed 
by  coating  both  edges  of  the  pieces  with 
litharged  linseed  oil,  commonly  called  dryer; 
when  partially  dried,  another  coating  is  given, 
and  the  pieces  are  to  be  tightly  held  to¬ 
gether,  making  use  of  a  weight,  rope,  or 
sometimes  a  little  wedge  at  a  certain  point 
under  the  rope,  for  round  pieces  especially. 
Pieces  mended  by  either  of  these  two  pro¬ 
cesses  can  stand  out-door  exposure. 

XI. — Chinese  Cement. 

The  name  of  this  cement  is  familiar  enough 
to  the  ear  of  any  of  our  readers,  and  its 
qualification  forcibly  conveys  the  idea  of 
something  unusually  strange  about  its  com¬ 
position  and  virtues.  Quite  anxious  to  know 
about  it,  we  have  inquired  and  have  been 
told  of  as  many  different  receipts  for  it  as 
we  have  met  with  receipt-tellers.  We  have 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  either  the  genuine 


32 


CHINESE  CEMENT. 


receipt  has  not  been  made  public,  or  that  the 
Chinese  cement  is  not  preferable  to  the  pre¬ 
pared  glue.  Of  course,  we  are  generally  op¬ 
posed  to  any  containing  solid  matters  ;  and 
the  receipts  given  us,  and  the  several  special¬ 
ties  labelled  with  such  a  name,  can  be  included 
in  this  plain  formula :  some  white  of  egg, 
dried  or  fresh,  mixed  into  a  paste  with  lime, 
egg-shell,  or  finely  powdered  glass.  By 
mixing  any  fine  insoluble  powder  with  the 
mucilage  produced  from  gum  adragant,  we 
have  obtained  a  paste  that  compares  favor¬ 
ably  with  any  examined  by  us. 

XII. — Putty  Mending. 

We  shall  not  despise  the  old  and  venerable 
putty,  that  has  rendered  our  ancestors  so 
many  signal  services,  because  it  is  an  affair 
of  the  past.  On  the  contrary,  we  shall 
humbly  admit  that  for  articles  subjected  to 
rough  and  daily  use,  as  kitchen,  table,  or 
toilet-wares  are,  no  more  reliable  cement  has 
been  found,  or  is  likely  to  be  found  ;  for  the 
longer  it  is  exposed  to  changes  from  hot  water 
to  cold,  and  vice  versa,  the  more  it  hardens, 
the  better  it  resists,  and  with  the  assistance 
of  clasps  or  rivets,  intelligently  set  in,  an 
article  can  be  used  with  as  much  impunity 
as  if  never  broken  before.  The  oily  com¬ 
pound  cannot  be  improved,  and  the  fineness 
of  the  powder  that  forms  its  bulk  is  the  only 
thing  to  be  observed.  It  must  be  said,  for 


PUTTY  MENDING. 


33 


the  sake  of  parties  desirous  to  make  use  of 
it,  that  the  putty  must  be  expressly  made  for 
mending;  it  must  contain  nothing  else  but 
boiled  linseed  oil  and  white  lead  in  powder, 
though  a  little  of  ground  litharge  will  help 
the  hardening  much.  Very  unfortunately,  it 
must  be  made  quite  thick  to  be  good,  and 
when  applied  on  porous  bodies,  the  oil, 
separating  from  the  powder,  leaves  all  around 
an  indelible  soiling;  and  of  the  former 
putty  there  remains  only  a  useless,  crumbling 
amalgam.  We  need  not  speak  about  the 
time  it  takes  to  harden  nor  the  most  unsightly 
appearance  it  gives  the  pieces  so  treated. 

XIII. — Fish  Glue. 

In  many  instances  we  have  seen  described 
the  process  for  dissolving  this  substance, 
which  also  bears  the  name  of  Ichthyocolla, 
or  Isinglass.  It  is  said  that  it  dissolves  in 
water,  and  is  to  be  treated  as  ordinary  glue; 
but  this  work,  not  being  a  mere  compilation 
of  receipts  picked  up  here  and  there,  but  the 
production  of  our  painstaking  knowledge, 
we  did  not  want  to  save  our  time  (called 
money  by  some)  and  through  carelessness 
cause  others  to  lose  theirs,  and  to  censure  us 
for  their  deception.  Being  aware  that  there 
exist  two  different  sorts  of  this  glue,  the 
Russian  kind,  white,  translucent,  and  in 
thick  sheets  of  about  the  size  of  the  hand, 
and  the  other,  of  American  manufacture, 


34 


FISH  GLUE. 


cheaper  and  more  generally  known,  present¬ 
ing  a  dirty-looking  yellow  substance  thinned 
out  in  sheets,  resembling  ruffled  straw  paper 
— we  have  provided  ourselves  with  the  second 
kind,  the  one  more  readily  found  at  home. 
We  have  soaked  some  in  water  for  24  hours, 
then  have  boiled  it  for  two  hours,  stirring  all 
the  time,  and  to  the  best  of  our  knowledge, 
but  have  been  able  to  dissolve  but  a  very 
trifling  portion  of  it,  the  glue  being  merely 
divided  in  the  liquid.  The  way  to  prepare 
it  is  to  keep  it  for  24  hours  in  a  water-bath, 
stirring  occasionally ;  the  glue  will  dissolve 
more  readily  in  warm  water  if  it  has  been  pre¬ 
viously  soaked  with  alcohol,  but  is  too  dark 
in  color  unless  prepared  with  the  Russian  spe¬ 
cies,  which  is  quite  expensive;  and  not  offer¬ 
ing  any  advantage,  we  cannot  patronize  its  use. 
Several  cements  have  been  compounded,  of 
which  isinglass  is  the  chief  agent  and  ingre¬ 
dient,  which  are  known  as  Universal  Cement, 
Diamond  Cement,  etc.,  but  as  alcohol,  gum 
mastic,  salt  of  ammonia,  and  other  ingredients 
enter  into  their  composition,  we  are  at  a  loss 
to  imagine  where  the  strength  of  such  mix¬ 
tures  can  be.  They  are  most  unhandy  to 
work  with,  and  do  not  keep  well.  The 
amount  of  repairing  we  do  over  every  day 
tells  us  how  well  they  work,  and  how  good 
cements  generally  are.  This  is  said  to  warn 
our  readers  against  the  danger  of  taking 
for  granted  facts  and  receipts  occasionally 


FISH  GLUE. 


35 


published  in  so-called  scientific  papers, 
often  accompanied  by  bold  and  groundless 
assertions. 

XIV.-— Ivory,  Shell,  Vulcanite,  etc. 

Most  of  the  glue  compounds  will  work 
very  poorly  on  these  substances,  owing  to 
the  greasy  nature  of  the  ivory  or  bone  and 
the  peculiar  composition  of  shell  or  artifi¬ 
cial  product.  The  surfaces  must  be  well 
cleansed  and  touched  up  with  some  alkaline 
water;  spirits  of  ammonia  (hartshorn)  is  pref¬ 
erable.  The  prepared  glue  or  arabic  mucil¬ 
age  must  be  well  divided  in  some  fine  pow¬ 
der,  for  the  watery  liquid  is  but  partially 
absorbed.  We  have  found  that  a  paste 
made  of  carbonate  of  ammonia  and  weak 
glue  will  answer  as  well  as  anything  else. 
In  case  some  elaborate  pieces  cannot  be 
managed  so  as  to  offer  a  proper  fitting,  a  melt¬ 
ing  paste  should  be  used  possessing  sufficient 
lasting  and  adhesive  qualities.  We  think  that 
one  made  with  rosin  three  parts,  plaster, 
whiting  or  coloring  matter  one  part,  will  be 
found  to  answer  well. 

XV. — Some  Odd  Compounds. 

The  following  are  several  receipts  of  odd 
kinds  of  cements  or  mastics  which  differ 
entirely  from  those  usually  published.  They 
have  been  extensively  tried  and  pronounced 
good  ;  but,  on  account  of  their  composition 


36  SOME  ODD  COMPOUNDS. 

they  will  apply  only  to  a  very  limited  num¬ 
ber  of  cases,  especially  of  work  of  the 
coarsest  description : 

1.  Curdled  milk,  white  of  eggs,  equal 
parts.  Beat  the  eggs  in  the  milk  and  add  a 
sufficient  quantity  of  quick  lime  to  form  a 
paste.  Will  stand  water  and  heat. 

2.  Sulphur  3,  powdered  graphite  2 ;  to  be 
prepared  by  fusion, 

3.  Fine  iron  filings  4,  garlic  2,  acetic  acid 
1  ;  bruise  in  an  iron  mortar,  the  well-decorti¬ 
cated  garlic  with  the  iron ;  when  reduced  to 
paste  add  the  acetic  acid  and  make  use  of  it 
at  once.  It  is  unsurpassed  for  plugging  iron 
into  stone. 

4.  Fresh  sheep’s  blood  2,  quick  lime  2, 
melted  tallow  I  ;  slack  the  lime  into  the 
blood  ;  when  in  paste,  stir  in  well  the  tallow 
previously  melted.  To  join  heavy  stones. 

5.  Pulverized  baked  bricks,  quick  lime, 
wood  ashes,  equal  parts,  well  mixed,  and 
formed  into  paste  with  olive  oil ;  it  hardens 
promptly  and  does  not  break  under  water. 

6.  For  small  repairs  on  articles  made  of 
hard  wood  or  marble,  use  a  mixture  of  rosin 
2,  common  wax  I,  colored  to  the  shade  of 
the  wood  or  marble.  Often  preferable  to  glue. 

7.  Cement  for  very  large  pieces  of  porcelain 
or  stone-ware :  dry  white  river  sand  20, 
pulverized  litharge  I,  quick  lime  I,  boiled 
linseed  oil,  sufficient  quantity  for  a  handy 
paste. 


FILLING  UP  SMALL  OPENINGS. 


37 


XVI. — Filling  up  Small  Openings. 

It  is  very  seldom  that  a  piece  breaks  so 
neatly  that  the  cementing  alone  is  enough 
to  restore  it  to  its  former  appearance ;  the 
small  openings  left  must  be  filled  up  very 
carefully,  for  the  painting  finish  of  the  work 
would  suffer  very  much  if  this  was  not  at¬ 
tended  to  very  nicely.  The  paste  is  made 
of  whiting  and  nitrate  of  baryta  in  equal 
parts,  and  a  weak  solution  of  gum  arabic, 
though  glue  or  desk  mucilage  will  answer 
very  well.  Half  an  ounce  of  gum  will  suf¬ 
fice  for  a  large  tumblerful  of  water ;  the 
mixture  is  prepared  on  a  slab  and  thoroughly 
mixed  by  means  of  a  wide  knife’s  blade  or 
palette  knife.  A  little  experience  will  tell 
better  than  exact  weights  the  proper  propor  ¬ 
tions  of  the  two  substances  employed.  The 
paste  should  be  of  the  consistency  of  very 
thick  putty,  and  when  worked  with  the 
spatula  it  should  not  pull  or  be  too  glossy 
in  appearance.  If  made  too  thick,  it  will  not 
fill  up  well  and  dry  too  quickly  ;  if  too  liquid 
it  will  contract  and  will  crumble.  When  the 
mucilage  or  glue  is  too  strong  the  paste 
will  harden  so  much  that  it  will  resist  the 
cutting,  and  will  polish  under  the  sand-paper. 
The  paste  dried  up  on  the  slab  loses  none  of 
its  properties,  a  few  drops  of  water  rendering 
it  fit  for  use  at  any  time.  We  recommend 
to  have  the  seams  well  freed  from  glue  or 


38  FILLING  UP  SMALL  OPENINGS. 

cement  lumps,  for  these  would  swell  at  the 
contact  of  the  damp  paste  and  consequently 
throw  the  latter  off.  If  the  filling  up  is  to 
be  done  on  soft  material,  a  little  soaking  of 
the  clay  with  diluted  gum  arabic,  glue,  or 
gelatine,  or  better,  colorless  spirit  varnish,  is 
very  useful,  not  to  say  necessary. 

The  paste  having  been  pressed  into  the 
seams  with  a  curved  blade  or  very  small 
trowel,  is  left  rising  a  little  above  the  surface. 
After  a  twelve  hours’  drying  fine  sand-paper 
is  employed  to  grind  off  the  paste  to  a  level. 
Then  paper  of  the  finest  grain  (No.  oo)  is 
carefully  passed  over,  so  as  to  obtain  a  per¬ 
fectly  smooth  surface.  Feeling  with  the 
finger  across  the  seam  should  detect  no  raise 
or  cavity,  if  the  work  is  well  done. 

We  have  found  it  preferable  to  prepare 
our  own  whiting.  Dividing  the  lumps  in 
plenty  of  water  and  stirring  well,  we  skim  off 
the  floating  dirt,  and  allowing  half  a  minute 
for  the  sand  or  heavy  substance  to  settle  at 
the  bottom,  we  pour  the  liquid  into  another 
jar,  where  the  water  deposits  the  fine,  clean 
and  uniform  powder. 

On  such  semi-transparent  wares  as  alabas¬ 
ter,  marble,  colored  glass  and  ivory,  it  is 
sometimes  preferable  to  make  use  of  wax, 
plain  or  hardened  with  rosin  (one-fourth), 
and,  if  necessary,  colored  with  powdered 
colors,  so  as  to  match  the  tint  of  the  object. 
A  similar  mixture  can  even  be  made  use  of 


FILLING  UP  SMALL  OPENINGS.  39 

for  pieces  of  thin  china,  or  Parian  marble, 
preferably  to  anything  else ;  but  we  think 
that  the  general  adoption  of  this  process 
ought  to  be  condemned,  for  there  is  a  very 
limited  number  of  cases  where  it  is  suscep¬ 
tible  of  giving  satisfaction.  Practically,  the 
exact  coloring  of  the  wax,  and  its  application 
and  handling,  are  matters  of  the  greatest 
difficulty.  Besides  the  fact  that  it  is  entirely 
too  soft,  for  the  least  heat  or  pressure  of  the 
fingers  will  deform  the  work  so  executed, 
wax  cannot  either  stand  painting  over  or 
varnishing  of  any  kind. 

If  the  article  intended  to  be  repaired  has 
previously  been  subjected  to  wax  treatment, 
it  should  be  very  carefully  cleaned,  for  the 
wax,  most  readily  conveyed  to  the  broken 
edges,  would  interfere  with  the  work  of  the 
glue  or  cement. 

XVII. — Supplying  Larger  Pieces. 

Plaster  is  the  most  handy  substance  to 
make  large  pieces  with.  It  will  harden  uni- 
formily  in  a  very  short  time,  is  easily  cut  or 
carved,  and  will  keep  in  its  shape.  It  fills 
very  perfectly  all  the  minutest  parts  wherever 
applied,  adheres  to  almost  any  kind  of  ma¬ 
terial,  and  receives  equally  well  colors  mixed 
in  either  water,  oil,  or  varnish.  A  distinc¬ 
tion  should  be  made  between  the  two  sorts 
of  pieces  to  be  provided  for.  When  the 
space  is  entirely  surrounded  by  the  firm  por- 


4° 


SUPPLYING  LARGER  PIECES. 


tions  of  the  article,  it  is  a  mere  filling  up ; 
when,  on  the  contrary,  the  pieces  to  be  made, 
by  their  shape  or  exposure,  are  more  liable 
to  be  handled  or  broken  off;  as  for  instance, 
the  edge  of  a  plaque,  the  knob  of  a  cover, 
the  foot  of  a  vase ;  these  should  be  strength¬ 
ened  by  one  or  several  pieces  of  wire.  The 
extremities  of  these  wire  pieces  are  inserted 
into  the  thickness  of  the  substance  of  the 
article  by  means  of  little  holes,  drilled  by  the 
processes  described  hereafter  (see  Chapter 
XVIII.),  or  are  simply  bent  so  as  to  follow 
the  edges  of  the  broken  parts,  and  sealed 
fast  with  shellac,  (see  Cut  No.  i.)  When 
the  thickness  or  friability  allows  it,  the  wire 
is  set  in  small  incisions  or  grooves,  or  is 
dispensed  with  entirely. 

Therefore,  if  we  have  to  provide  for  an 
exposed  piece,  we  prepare  a  frame  by  taking 
a  piece  of  soft  iron  wire,  being  in  size  but 
one-third  of  the  thickness  of  the  surrounding- 
edges,  and,  having  flattened  it  moderately, 
we  bend  it  into  the  shape  the  piece  is  to  be 
made,  taking  care  to  have  it  so  that  the 
plaster  will  hide  it  entirely.  When  the  piece 
is  to  occupy  the  outer  edge  of  an  article,  the 
wire  should  be  placed  as  close  to  the  rim  as 
possible,  and  if  of  very  large  dimensions, 
several  wires  are  required.  When  drilled 
holes  are  necessary,  the  thickness  of  the 
article  will  indicate  their  depth,  and  hence 
the  extra  length  to  be  given  to  the  wire ;  for 


SUPPLYING  LARGER  PIECES. 


41 


china  or  earthen-ware,  from  one-sixteenth  to 
the  eighth  of  an  inch  is  all  that  is  necessary. 
Giving  a  sharp  bend  at  the  middle  of  the 
shaped  wire  and  straightening  it  out  again, 
we  insert  it  into  the  prepared  holes  and  seal 
it  in  them  with  shellac  or  a  little  filling 
paste,  or  by  pressing  in  little  bits  of  metal. 
For  handles,  spouts,  or  knobs,  the  holes 
should  be  deeper,  sometimes  drilled  through, 
and  the  wire  stronger.  (See  Figs.  1  to  7,  p.  45 .) 

The  frame  being  affixed,  and,  if  necessary, 
the  clay  being  soaked  as  directed  in  the  pre¬ 
ceding  chapter,  we  take  a  piece  of  modelling 
wax,  worked  and  softened  by  the  fingers,  and 
reduce  it  to  a  thin  sheet  and  form  with  it  a 
kind  of  partition  that  will  serve  to  receive 
and  hold  the  plaster.  Careful  operators 
employ  only  a  piece  of  pasteboard  or  Bristol 
card  covered  with  a  thin  piece  of  paper,  leav¬ 
ing  only  the  paper  attached  to  the  plaster  as 
soon  as  it  settles,  for  the  dampness  would 
cause  the  card  to  bend  inwardly.  A  quan¬ 
tity  of  plaster  being  gently  mixed  with  water, 
so  as  to  form  a  thin  paste,  and  containing  as 
few  bubbles  as  possible,  is  then  spread  evenly 
over  the  wax  partition  or  card,  making  the 
coating  rather  thick;  for,  if  too  thin,  the 
piece  should  be  made  over  entirely,  the  plas¬ 
ter  seldom  working  well  in  superimposed 
layers. 

The  plaster,  according  to  its  quality,  the 
weather,  and  the  size  of  the  piece  made,  will 


42 


SUPPLYING  LARGER  PIECES. 


require  from  five  to  twenty  minutes  to 
harden  sufficiently.  Then,  taking  a  moulder’s 
rip,  or  wood  rasp,  we  chip  off  the  unneces¬ 
sary  parts  at  once,  avoiding  at  the  same  time 
the  soaking  of  the  surrounding  cemented 
portions  and  the  pressure  the  swelling  of  the 
plaster  would  make  on  its  immediate  sur¬ 
roundings.  After  having  been  set  aside  for 
24  hours  to  dry,  we  resume  the  finishing 
work  of  the  piece,  using,  according  to  its 
form,  fine  cutting  blades,  spoon  beads,  slick¬ 
ers,  rifflers,  or  small  curved  files.  Sand¬ 
paper  of  the  finest  grade  (No.  00)  is  used  to 
smooth  up  the  surfaces. 

What  has  been  mentioned  in  the  chapter 
on  “  Gum  Shellac  ”  should  be  remembered 
in  time,  in  respect  to  the  preference  to  be 
given  to  that  substance  for  very  small  and 
more  endangered  parts  that  are  to  be  pro¬ 
vided  for.  To  accomplish  it,  a  small  quantity 
of  gum  is  softened  above  the  lamp,  and  is  given 
an  approximate  shape  of  the  piece ;  then, 
heating  the  spot  sufficiently,  it  is  stuck  on, 
cut  with  a  sharp  blade,  and  polished  off  with 
proper  sand-paper. 

Should  any  piece  be  wanting  on  a  trans¬ 
parent  or  undecorated  ornament,  it  is  pref¬ 
erable  to  varnish  the  wire,  or  to  use  some 
made  of  brass  or  copper,  owing  to  the  oxi¬ 
dizing  action  of  plaster  on  the  iron ;  some¬ 
times  mere  little  pegs  of  lead,  bone,  or  hard 
wood  are  deemed  sufficient. 


SUPPLYING  LARGER  PIECES. 


43 


Being  carefully  dusted  off,  the  plaster 
piece  is  coated  with  boiled  linseed  oil  and 
allowed  to  dry  during  at  least  24  hours; 
then  the  little  cavities  and  defects  noticed  in 
the  plaster,  caused  by  either  the  air  bubbles 
or  bruised  parts  at  the  thinner  edges,  are 
remedied  by  means  of  the  whiting  filler ; 
these  little  white  spots  also,  when  dried,  are 
touched  up  with  oil,  and  the  piece,  thorough¬ 
ly  dried,  is  submitted  to  a  last  touch  with 
sand-paper.  All  is  in  ready  condition  now 
to  receive  the  painting  and  decoration. 

The  portions  added  on  ornaments  of  plas¬ 
ter,  clay,  terra-cotta,  or  alabaster,  are  not  to 
be  oiled,  but  merely  soaked  with  a  solution 
of  borax,  alum,  gum  acacia,  glue,  or  gela¬ 
tine,  when  these  articles  are  to  be  shaded 
with  water  colors,  unless  the  articles  are 
intended  to  be  or  were  originally  covered 
with  paints  of  oil  or  varnish  composition. 

XVIII. — Drilling  and  Riveting. 

It  is  surprising  to  note  the  ignorance  of 
the  average  “  Works-of-Art  Restorer  ”  about 
the  best  practical  ways  to  proceed  in  this 
very  important  operation.  It  seems  to  be  no 
matter  of  his  to  know  how  to  execute  that 
work  himself,  or  on  his  own  responsibility; 
and  the  direct  investigations  to  which  we 
have  devoted  ourselves  confirm  us  in  thebelief 
that,  in  general,  he  does  not  know  how  to  do 


44  DRILLING  AND  RIVETING. 

it  properly.  It  might  be  said  that  drilling 
on  china  or  glass  is  somewhat  difficult,  very 
tiresome,  not  exempt  from  risks,  and  that  if 
improperly  equipped  to  do  it,  it  is  preferable 
to  give  it  to  responsible  parties  furnished  with 
all  the  necessary  implements.  This  appears 
to  be  a  conclusive  admonition,  and  the  city 
repairer,  fortunate  enough  to  have  a  lapidist 
or  glass-cutter  within  tolerable  distance  from 
his  place  of  business,  can  sometimes  get  it 
done  cheaper  than  he  himself  could  do  it. 
That  we  admit  willingly;  but  no  one  is  a 
genuine  tradesman  who  does  not  know  every¬ 
thing  appertaining  to  his  calling,  and  who  is 
dependent  upon  certain  processes  practised 
by  his  neighbors,  unknown  to  himself. 

The  time  has  gone  by  when  the  trade 
secrets  benefit  men,  and  we  owe  it  to  our 
attentive  readers  to  give  them  an  unrestricted 
description  of  a  trade  we  have  pledged  our¬ 
selves  to  familiarize  them  with.  Anyone 
who  has  visited  the  wonderful  city  of  Paris 
could  not  help  noticing  the  china  mender, 
for  he  is  one  of  the  typical  features  that  en¬ 
liven  that  ever  interesting  capital.  With  a 
square  box  strapped  on  his  back,  brightly 
painted  and  ornamented,  with  its  row  of 
shiny  tin  fountain  cocks  (for  he  adds  to  the 
above  calling  the  specialty  of  resetting  spig- 
gots),  he  walks  about  the  streets,  enters  each 
house-yard,  and  causes  the  air  to  resound 
with  his  guttural  and  most  compound  yell, 


BRIC-A-BRAC  DOCTOR. 


45 


Fig.  x.  Vase,  showing  the  lost  part. 

Fig.  2.  Wire  frame  fastened  on  the  edges. 

Fig.  3.  Wire  frame  inserted  in  drilled  holes. 

Fig.  4.  Flatter,  showing  the  lost  part. 

Fig.  5.  Single  frame  for  the  whole  piece. 

Fig.  6.  Cover  to  be  fastened  with  inside  pin. 
big.  7.  Cut  showing  the  prepared  holes. 

Figs.  8,  9.  Position  of  the  rivets. 

Figs.  10,  IX,  12.  Making  the  drill;  its  different  stages. 


46 


BRIC-A-BRAC  DOCTOR. 


This  cut  shows  the  safest  wire  appliances  for  holding 
china,  either  in  the  cabinet  or  against  the  wall. 


Fig.  I.  Combination  plate  rack,  made  for  any  number. 
Figs.  2,  4.  Cups  and  saucers  mounted  on  easels. 

Fms.  3,  5.  The  easels  alone. 

Fig.  6.  Plate  mounted  with  hanger. 

Fig-  7-  Regulating  top-hook  for  the  hanger. 


DRILLING  AND  RIVETING. 


47 


and  one  must  be  thankful  if  he  does  not 
accompany  it  with  the  more  piercing  noise 
produced  by  his  small  metal  pipe.  Such  is 
the  popular  china  mender.  At  the  first 
chance  of  a  job,  he  accepts  it.  Seated  on  his 
box  in  an  alley- way,  at  a  corner,  in  a  yard, 
or  sometimes  on  the  street,  one  may  see  him 
handling  the  broken  portions  of  a  dish  or 
the  lid  of  a  pitcher.  He  is  a  strong  driller 
on  hard  material ;  be  it  earthen-ware,  porce¬ 
lain,  or  stone-ware,  he  attacks  it  with  a  mere 
bit  of  steel,  short-handled,  picked  up  some¬ 
where  from  a  discarded  umbrella.  Having 
ground  his  tool,  so  as  to  give  it  a  three- 
cornered  end,  on  the  piece  of  sandstone  he 
keeps  by  him,  he  dips  it  into  a  small  pot 
containing  a  lump  of  camphor  soaking  in 
turpentine,  and  having  marked  the  position 
of  the  rivet  or  clasp,  just  across  the  broken 
seam,  he  starts  the  boring  of  one  hole.  Us¬ 
ing  the  full  strength  of  his  wrist,  he  whirls  the 
tool  right  and  left,  steadily  and  quickly,  giving 
quite  frequently  his  tool  a  sharpening  touch 
on  the  stone.  We  easily  imagine  the  follow¬ 
ing  operations.  We  have  described  his  putty; 
the  clasps  or  rivets  are  bits  of  wire  doubled 
up  and  cut  according  to  the  depth  and  the 
distance  ‘wee  n  the  holes,  sharply  bent  at 
right  anbUs  at  each  end  so  as  to  pull  together 
tight  the  parts  to  be  joined.  (Figs.  8, 9,  p.45.) 

When  on  large  and  heavy  ornamental 
pieces,  it  is  of  absolute  necessity  to  have 


48  DRILLING  AND  RIVETING. 

recourse  to  riveting,  as  much  as  possible  we 
insert  the  rivets.  This  is  done  by  cutting  a 
groove  in  the  thick  part  of  the  material  it¬ 
self.  The  size  of  the  rivet  and  the  thickness 
of  the  wire  indicate  how  deep  and  how  long 
the  cut  is  to  be  made.  The  groove  being 
made  amply  wide  enough,  we  drill  the  holes, 
place  the  clasps  and  fill  up  level,  hiding  by 
the  painting  as  usual. 

Of  course  there  is  a  neater  and  safer  way 
to  drill  pottery  articles  than  that  practised  by 
our  inferior  fellow-craftsman,  for  the  smallest 
of  his  tools  would  not  match  well  with  the 
minute  pieces  of  china,  in  which  we  can  bore 
holes  with  comparative  ease  and  security, 
which  process  we  are  going  to  explain 
presently. 

In  general,  one  substance  can  scratch, 
bore,  or  cut  another  only  when  the  latter  is 
softer  or  has  less  cohesiveness  in  its  parti¬ 
cles,  or  when  it  is  temporarily  made  softer 
by  soaking,  heating,  etc.  For  instance, 
when  drilling  we  should  have  the  wood  well 
dried  ;  the  bone,  the  alabaster,  the  marble 
wet  with  water;  the  brass  or  the  lead  covered 
with  oil,  and  the  iron  aided  with  alkaline 
water.  All  and  each  of  these  can  be  worked 
easily  with  ordinary  steel  tools,  for  steel  has 
more  resisting  power  than  any  of  these 
bodies.  But  in  dealing  with  ceramic  pro¬ 
ductions,  which  are  mere  agglomerations  of 
extremely  hard  and  insoluble  substances  or 


DRILLING  AND  RIVETING. 


49 


clays  maintained  in  shape  by  the  admixture 
of  other  melted,  or  partially  melted  sub¬ 
stances,  the  liquid  employed  only  acts  as  an 
expelling  agent  of  the  bruised  parts  or  dust 
produced  by  the  tool  crushing  or  dislodging 
the  grain  of  the  substance.  According  to 
the  proportion  of  fusible  bodies  entering  the 
paste,  and  also  of  the  tenuity  of  grain  or 
chemical  properties  of  the  clay,  are  obtained 
more  or  less  friable  substances ;  viz.,  clay, 
terra-cotta,  earthen-ware,  pate-tendre,  porce¬ 
lain,  stone-ware  ;  glass  or  enamel,  compounds 
entirely  fusible,  belonging  to  a  different  class 
of  manufacture. 

As  a  consequence  of  the  above  knowledge 
it  follows  that  substances  of  the  first  kind  are 
to  be  drilled  with  tools  possessing  sharp, 
incisive  edges,  while  those  belonging  to  the 
second  require  some  endowed  with  all  pos¬ 
sible  toughness,  which  execute  their  work 
more  by  pounding  than  cutting. 

XIX. — A  Powerful  and  Delicate  Tool. 

Therefore  for  the  second  class  of  bodies, 
throwing  aside  any  steel  instrument,  we  look 
for  the  hardest  obtainable  body,  and  its  name 
comes  to  our  lips — we  call  it  the  diamond. 
The  newspapers  have  published  extensive 
accounts  of  very  formidable  railroad  enter¬ 
prises.  Everyone  has  heard  of  the  compact 
beds  of  rocks,  granite,  etc.,  unyielding  foes 
of  the  pick  and  maul  of  the  miner,  met  with 
4 


gQ  A  POWERFUL  AND  DELICATE  TOOL. 

under  mountains  to  be  tunnelled  by  the  en¬ 
gineers.  Such  obstacles  have  vanished  be¬ 
fore  the  diamond  and  the  dynamite.  Small 
lumps  of  the  precious  stone  set  in  the  end  of 
steel  rods,  acted  upon  by  steam  machinery, 
have  drilled  the  holes  and  the  explosive  has 
accomplished  its  work.  The  difference  be¬ 
tween  the  work  of  drilling  a  mountain  of 
rock  or  of  the  boring  of  wells,  and  that  of 
drilling  a  thin  piece  of  porcelain,  is  very 
little,  the  amount  of  time  required  and  the 
size  of  the  tool  excepted ;  the  main  diffi¬ 
culty  in  the  work  is  the  same. 

Our  steam  power  will  be  a  light  and 
steady  hand ;  our  engine  will  be  any  drill 
holder,  substantial  but  light,  having  a  chuck 


This  very  cheap  and  most  handy  tool,  provided  with  a  chuch,  is 
manufactured  by  the  Miller’s  Falls  Manufacturing  Company. 


with  a  far-reaching  shaft.  Though  a  skil¬ 
ful  artisan  can  perform  good  work  with 
any  sort  of  tool,  we  prefer  those  having  cog¬ 
wheels  to  others  requiring  a  bow  or  revolving 
by  a  spring,  the  steadiness  of  the  hand  and 
body  being  of  absolute  necessity  when  oper¬ 
ating  on  brittle  substances  with  narrow  sur- 


A  POWERFUL  AND  DELICATE  TOOL.  5  I 

faces.  Appliances  acting  by  concussion  are 
also  very  objectionable. 

Ready-made  diamond  drills  can  be  bought 
from  any  dealer  in  jewelers’  tools,  glaziers’ 
diamond  manufacturers,  or  sometimes  from 
a  lapidist;  but  as  these  delicate  and  costly 
tools  get  easily  out  of  order,  it  is  preferable 
to  know  how  to  prepare  them  one’s  self. 

To  make  a  drill,  we  take  a  straight  piece 
of  iron  wire,  two  or  three  inches  long,  hav¬ 
ing  a  diameter  somewhat  larger  than  that  of 
the  hole  wanted.  Having  obtained  at  the 
lapidist’s  chips  of  diamond  of  different  sizes, 
pieces  unfit  for  the  wheel,  whose  cost  is  a 
mere  trifle  compared  to  that  of  the  perfectly 
cut  gem,  we  choose  one  of  them,  oblong, 
flat,  presenting  if  possible  two  parallel  sur¬ 
faces,  and  being  in  length  about  the  diameter 
of  the  hole  desired.  One  end  of  the  wire, 
held  in  a  vise,  is  filed  down  flat;  then,  tak¬ 
ing  a  metal  saw,  or  better,  a  small  knife  file, 
we  cut  in  its  diameter  a  groove,  wide  and 
deep  enough  to  admit  the  stone  selected, 
lengthwise  and  with  a  pretty  tight  fit.  We 
place  the  stone  in  the  groove  and  force  it  in 
hard,  interposing  a  piece  of  lead,  copper,  or 
hard  wood,  if  we  use  the  hammer.  Taking 
the  drill  from  the  vise,  with  a  pair  of  plyers 
we  turn  down  on  the  stone  the  iron  rising 
around  it,  and  the  tool  is  ready  for  the  pre¬ 
paratory  trial.  Drills  can  also  be  made  with 
several  stones,  provided  they  form  a  raise  at 


52  A  POWERFUL  AND  DELICATE  TOOL. 

the  centre  of  the  tool.  The  drill  is  then 
affixed  to  the  revolving  motor,  and  having 
laid  plumb  on  a  table  a  piece  of  broken 
earthen-ware,  terra-cotta,  or  sandstone,  we 
try  the  drill  on  part  of  it,  soaking  freely  with 
water.  This  operation,  carefully  managed, 
has  only  for  its  object  the  tearing  off  of  the 
iron  cap,  to  clear  the  salient  angles  of  the 
stone,  which  alone  play  an  active  part  in 
the  perforation  of  the  substance.  As  soon 
as  this  is  effected,  the  little  rings  or  burr  that 
the  wearing  of  the  iron  will  leave  below  the 
stone  are  removed  with  a  smooth  file,  taking 
care  not  to  rub  or  dislodge  the  stone,  pro¬ 
ceeding  with  the  filing  down  of  the  iron,  from 
one-half  inch  up,  according  to  the  depth  of 
the  hole  wanted.  We  hardly  need  to  add  that 
these  delicate  tools  are  to  be  well  cared  for, 
one  not  being  always  successful  in  the  mak¬ 
ing  of  them. 

A  good  precaution  will  be  to  have  the 
drill  passed  through  a  small  cork,  or,  by 
means  of  a  little  brass  collar,  fastenable  on 
it  with  a  screw,  having  the  working  part  of 
the  drill  graduated  so  that,  boring  through 
thin  pieces,  the  unfiled  portion  cannot  force 
its  way  through  and  break  the  article. 

If  it  were  not  for  the  explanations  we  have 
already  given  about  the  two  different  classes 
of  materials  that  necessitate  a  special  mode 
of  drilling,  it  would  seem,  strange  that  a  tool 
not  centred,  that  is,  not  having  a  determined 


A  POWERFUL  AND  DELICATE  TOOL.  53 

axle,  and  having  no  cutting  edges  either, 
could  effect  such  remarkable  results ;  but 
this  is  readily  explained  by  the  very  absence 
of  symmetry  in  its  pointed  portion.  It  effects 
a  mere  grinding  of  the  substance ;  an  action 
maintained  to  a  limited  space  by  the  round 
frame  of  the  tool  itself.  The  more  salient 
angles  of  the  stone,  freed  by  the  particle  it  has 
just  dislodged,  by  the  pressure  and  the  re¬ 
volving  motion  of  the  tool,  strike  against 
another  particle,  which  in  its  turn  gives  way, 
causing  a  succession  of  concussions  unappre- 
ciable  to  the  hand  of  the  operator ;  the  less 
salient  asperities  of  the  drill  reduce  these 
loose  particles  to  powder,  and  the  water — the 
best  liquid  to  be  employed — carries  it  out  to 
the  surface. 

XX. — Colors,  Varnishes  and  Brushes. 

About  fifteen  different  colors  have  proven 
sufficient  to  us  to  manage  every  case  where 
painting  is  required.  These  are  mostly 
mineral  pigments,  the  same  as  ground  in 
oil ;  but  we  buy  them  in  their  powder  state, 
for  those  already  mixed  would  not  be  proper 
on  china,  the  oil  darkening  considerably  in 
time.  China  colors  cannot  be  made  use  of, 
owing  to  the  necessary  fusible  salts  added  to 
them,  under  the  name  of  fluxes;  and  aniline 
colors,  on  account  of  their  fugacious  nature, 
are  not  to  be  depended  upon  either.  We 
insist  especially  on  the  fine  quality  of  the 


54  COLORS,  VARNISHES  AND  BRUSHES. 

colors  we  buy ;  giving  the  preference  to 
those  possessing  the  richest  hues;  for  earthy 
substances,  grinding  the  steel  of  the  palette 
knife,  would  be  blackened  when  mixing  on 
the  sanded  glass  slab.  It  is  only  when  large 
surfaces  are  to  be  painted  that  we  mix  them 
with  the  muller. 

These  colors  are : 

White  of  zinc,  light  chrome  yellow,  deep 
chrome  yellow,  brick  red,  burnt  sienna,  Chi¬ 
nese  black,  cobalt  blue,  ultramarine  blue, 
Prussian  blue,  indigo,  carmine  lake,  Vermil¬ 
lion,  verdigris,  and  the  three  chrome  greens, 
— light,  deep,  and  very  deep. 

Gold  paints  will  be  separately  treated. 
(See  Chapter  XXIV.) 

When  repairing  clays  or  terra-cotta,  yellow 
ochre  is  required,  and  to  match  some  kinds 
of  bronzed  plasters  Paris  green  is  some¬ 
times  absolutely  necessary.  For  the  ma¬ 
jority  of  our  restorations  these  colors  are 
diluted  in  copal  varnish,  which  should  be  of 
good  consistency,  and  as  colorless  as  can  be 
procured.  Good  dealers  in  artists’  materials 
keep  the  “  Crystal  ”  brand,  which  is  almost 
of  a  transparent  white.  This  varnish  has 
not  the  inconvenience  of  drying  too  quickly  ; 
and  is  easily  diluted  with  rectified  spirits  of 
turpentine.  It  is  readily  removed  in  case  of 
spilling  or  other  accident,  and  according  to 
the  proportion  of  turpentine  added,  the  paint 
can  be  made  to  appear  glossy,  dull  or  pul¬ 
verulent. 


COLORS,  VARNISHES  AND  BRUSHES.  55 

The  pencils  or  brushes  used  by  us,  are  of 
different  sorts,  according  to  the  work  re¬ 
quired.  To  prepare  the  grounds  we  have 
the  flat  ones  ;  to  restore  and  accord  the  de¬ 
sign,  those  in  quills  are  good ;  for  fine  and 
continuous  lines  the  writers  or  stripers  are 
preferable ;  and,  to  effect  the  peculiar  mar- 
bleing  (tape)  found  on  modern  pottery,  quite 
worn  out  brushes  are  preferable  to  new  ones. 

For  smooth  surfaces,  none  but  those  of 
the  best  kind  (finest  spring)  are  to  be  used  ; 
even  for  clay  coloring,  the  camel-hair  brushes 
will  be  found  preferable  to  those  made  of 
bristle,  conveying  the  color  more  evenly  over 
the  rough  surfaces. 

The  time  spent  in  keeping  the  brushes  in 
an  absolute  condition  of  cleanliness  will  re¬ 
pay  amply  in  beauty  in  the  work  and  in 
economy  for  the  purse.  It  is  materially  im¬ 
possible  to  obtain  either  good  black  or  good 
white  from  one  brush  superficially  cleansed, 
alternately  used  for  the  two ;  the  second 
paint  will  incline  to  gray.  A  good  precau¬ 
tion  is  to  start  with  the  lighter  shades.  To 
clean  them  we  proceed  thus :  Having  first 
rinsed  them  out  in  some  turpentine  contained 
in  a  little  cup,  they  are  once  more  freed  from 
color  by  dipping  them  in  pure  varnisn  (or 
oil,  if  oil  has  been  used),  and  rinsed  out 
again  in  fresh  turpentine  once  or  twice,  until 
the  liquid  remains  colorless. 

They  are  laid  aside  in  a  special  box,  and 


56  COLORS,  VARNISHES  AND  BRUSHES. 

to  keep  the  moths  from  them  we  place 
a  small  lump  of  camphor  in  it.  It  will  be 
of  great  assistance  to  apprentice-restorers, 
not  well  posted  about  color  mixing,  to  have 
a  set  of  soft  pastels,  which,  by  the  grada¬ 
tion  of  the  tints,  educate  the  novice’s  eye ; 
but,  of  course,  the  intermixing  of  the  colors 
can  only  be  acquired  through  close  exami¬ 
nation,  good  judgment  and  experience. 

Pastel  powders  (soft)  can  sometimes  be 
used  instead  of  the  mineral  colors,  restoring 
the  previous  shade,  darkened  by  wetting 
with  the  varnish,  by  the  addition  of  a  little 
of  some  appropriate  lighter  powder,  white 
of  zinc,  generally;  but  we  mention  this  pro¬ 
cess  as  a  last  resort. 

By  the  way,  our  readers  should  be  warned 
against  the  “settling”  of  the  colors;  those 
mixed  with  lighter  grades,  the  white  espe¬ 
cially,  darkening  from  about  one-twentieth  to 
one-tenth  in  drying.  It  is  preferable  to  keep 
above  the  given  sample. 

XXI. — Modes  of  Painting. 

When  one  considers  attentively  the  dec¬ 
oration  laid  on  a  piece  of  china  or  enamelled 
pottery,  it  can  be  observed  that  the  colors 
employed  possess  generally  very  strong 
hues,  but  at  the  same  time,  that  they  are 
spread  on  in  extremely  thin  layers,  showing 
through  their  transparency  the  color  of 
the  ground  on  which  the  painting  is  done. 


MODES  OF  PAINTING. 


57 


To  the  absence  of  the  thorough  understand¬ 
ing  of  physical  laws  in  connection  with  the 
play  of  colors,  more  than  to  any  other  cause, 
ought  to  be  assigned  the  failure  that  has 
accompanied  the  essays  made  by  persevering 
and  talented  amateurs,  engaged  in  the  decora¬ 
tion  of  pieces  of  indigenous  clay  pottery,  that 
were  to  acquire  the  appearance  of  the  regu¬ 
lar  potter’s  make.  In  the  permeability  of 
these  colors,  allowing  the  light’s  rays  to 
strike  the  under  refractive  surface  of  the  clay, 
resides  the  secret  of  china  colors  being  so 
bright,  so  attractive,  so  sparkling  in  their 
effect ;  a  result  that  is  surpassed  only  in 
enamel  work  on  polished  metals,  and  that 
cannot  be  acquired  but  by  the  overthrowing 
of  the  notions  generally  accepted  and  taught. 
Certainly,  those  of  our  lady  readers  who,  on 
account  of  the  little  spare  time  left  to  them, 
or  the  fear  of  not  succeeding  in  the  work,  will 
not  attempt  the  more  important  restorations, 
will  find  quite  a  revelation  in  the  reading  of 
the  above  lines,  and  will  be  greatly  benefited 
in  one  of  their  most  delicate  accomplish¬ 
ments — “  home  decorating.” 

Several  ways  are  offered  for  patching 
the  decoration.  The  first  consists  in  con¬ 
cealing  entirely  the  seams  under  a  thick, 
broad  and  uniform  coating  of  paint  of  the 
color  of  the  ground  ;  then,  this  being  prepared 
and  dry,  go  over  the  decorated  parts,  with 
appropriate  colors,  and  draw  anew  the  design 


53 


MODES  OF  PAINTING. 


wherever  it  has  been  entirely  hidden  by  the 
ground  coating. 

The  second  is  to  draw  with  the  different 
colors  fine  lines,  following  exactly  the  seams, 
however  they  are  situated. 

The  third,  and  the  most  difficult  to  practise, 
but  the  one  that,  in  return,  gives  the  best  re¬ 
sults,  is  to  borrow  from  the  original  as  little  as 
possible,  but  more  especially  to  take  advan¬ 
tage  of  the  general  design  and  to  make  ap¬ 
propriate  and  harmonious  additions  to  the 
decorations.  As  often  and  as  much  as  this 
can  be  practically  done,  we  give  this  process 
the  preference. 

Whatever  amount  of  attention  has  been 
paid  to  the  choice  of  the  materials,  however 
skilful  and  experienced  has  been  the  artist 
who  has  used  the  first  process,  it  has  been 
remarked  that  these  restorations  suffer  serious 
climacteric  changes ;  the  paint,  where  the  light 
grounds  dominate,  the  white  particularly,  in¬ 
clining  toward  the  yellow  tinge.  And  such 
changes  seem  to  occur  the  more  readily 
when  the  articles  are  exposed  to  undue  in¬ 
fluences  of  strong  light,  excessive  heat,  sul¬ 
phurous  gases,  or  even  dampness. 

The  drawing  of  lines,  properly  executed,  is 
not  very  noticeable  on  highly  colored  wares, 
but  when  done  on  light-shaded  parts,  it  re¬ 
quires  special  care  that  the  lines  shall  not 
assume  an  objectionable  appearance. 

A  great  deal  of  ingenuity  is  required  in 


MODES  OF  PAINTING. 


59 


concealing  or  blending  in  the  decoration  the 
seams,  chipped  or  replaced  parts,  of  a  restored 
ornament.  A  sure  hand,  a  refined  taste,  and  a 
good  knowledge  of  drawing,  are  of  absolute 
necessity  in  most  cases ;  but  the  preciseness 
in  the  matching  of  the  colors  compels  any¬ 
one,  a  priori ,  to  judge  favorably  of  a  job 
lacking  some  other  very  important  quality. 

In  the  background,  in  the  faint  colors  par¬ 
ticularly,  are  to  be  found  the  resources  for 
the  additions  to  be  made  by  the  ingenious 
painter;  but  sometimes  a  part  of  the  decora¬ 
tion — an  insect,  a  butterfly,  a  bird  or  plant — 
boldly  placed  on  the  front,  will  give  a  most 
happy  result.  In  these  additions,  varying 
with  each  case  to  be  treated,  no  proper 
directions  can  be  given  to  assist  the  prac¬ 
titioner. 

XXII. — Grounds — Different  Whites. 

The  white  grounds  are  of  general  occur¬ 
rence,  and  at  the  same  time  the  more  difficult 
to  execute  properly,  as  great  accuracy  of 
appreciation  is  necessary  for  the  mixing  of 
these  faint  and  delusive  shades.  The  powders, 
ground  with  the  least  possible  quantity  of 
colorless  copal  varnish,  diluted  in  spirits  of 
turpentine,  should  not  leave  any  grain,  and 
hair  particles  or  impurities  are  to  be  removed 
entirely  from  the  slab.  The  proportions  of 
the  varnish  must  be  such  that  no  glo^s  will 
appear  on  the  dried  paint,  though  enough  of 


GO  GROUNDS - DIFFERENT  WHITES. 

it  is  required  to  give  the  necessary  body, 
without  which  it  would  not  adhere  to  the 
glaze,  but  peel  off  within  a  short  time. 

What  we  have  said  already  about  the  set¬ 
tling  of  the  colors  applies  more  forcibly  to 
this  case ;  for  the  lighter  the  shades  are,  the 
more  readily  detected  will  be  the  least 
changes  that  might  take  place.  Always 
keep  below  the  point,  for  darkening  will  cer¬ 
tainly  come  quick  enough.  Only  the  fine 
flat  brush  can  be  made  use  of  for  this  work. 
The  paint  is  to  be  spread  across  the  seam,  in 
short,  regular  and  parallel  layers  ;  and  the 
impulsion  given  to  the  brush  must  be  so 
managed  that  both  ends  of  the  touch  be 
extremely  light,  leaving  a  greater  amount  of 
paint  to  the  centre,  immediately  above  the 
line  to  be  covered  up.  Several  coatings 
being  always  indispensable,  it  is  necessary  to 
allow  each  of  them  full  time  to  dry  before 
applying  the  following  one.  Six  hours  are 
amply  sufficient  to  do  this.  Each  subsequent 
coat  must  extend  a  little  farther  on  each  side 
of  the  seam,  so  that  the  work,  when  properly 
executed,  will  produce  a  layer  of  paint  thick 
enough  in  the  centre  to  entirely  conceal  the 
seam,  while  the  edges  will  gradually  fade  out 
into  the  general  tone  of  the  ground.  The 
bad  condition  of  the  joined  parts,  or  the 
color  of  the  cement  employed,  require  some¬ 
times  as  many  as  six  or  eight  consecutive 
coatings  before  a  satisfactory  result  is  ob- 


GROUNDS DIFFERENT  WHITES.  6 1 

tained.  The  last  one  alone  will  contain  the 
necessary  quantity  of  copal  to  give  the  de¬ 
sired  gloss — pure  copal  varnish,  containing 
but  a  very  little  quantity  of  the  light  shade 
already  applied,  if  operating  on  old  faiences 
or  soft  porcelain  enamelled.  To  remedy  the 
sticking  propensity  of  the  varnish,  a  sojourn 
of  several  hours  in  a  moderately  warm  oven 
will  be  given  to  the  restored  piece.  This 
work  requires  from  the  artist  many  special 
qualities,  among  which  is  utmost  cleanliness. 
To  circumscribe  it  to  narrow  limits  is  con¬ 
sidered  a  talent  toward  which  are  concen¬ 
trated  all  the  efforts  of  the  ambitious  restorer. 
Very  unfortunately,  its  execution  is  of  the 
greatest  difficulty,  and  if  we  add  to  this  the 
fear  of  changes  the  colors  might  assume  in 
time,  we  hardly  need  to  advise  our  readers 
to  have  recourse  to  it  only  when  other  pro¬ 
cesses  are  inapplicable.  On  colored  parts, 
such  work  will  be  less  difficult  in  its  execu¬ 
tion,  and  therefore  much  less  objectionable. 
The  following  directions  concerning  the  dif¬ 
ferent  white  grounds,  will  likely  be  of  great 
assistance  to  the  beginner.  In  the  case  of 
modern  china,  which  possesses  ordinarily  a 
blue  tinge,  a  particle  of  indigo  is  to  be  added 
to  the  white ;  the  pate-tendre,  of  a  milky 
■'  white,  requires  no  blue,  but  a  little  ochre; 
and  for  the  old  Dresden,  an  addition  of  both 
Prussian  blue  and  ochre  is  necessary.  For 
Nankin  or  Canton  wares,  Prussian  blue  or 


62 


GROUNDS - DIFFERENT  WHITES. 


indigo,  with  a  little  ochre  or  deep  chrome 
yellow,  sometimes  brick  red,  are  to  be  added  ; 
and  the  peculiar  cream-colored  ground  on 
Satzuma,  Kioto,  and  modern  wares,  requires 
light  chrome  yellow  and  Prussian  blue  ;  but 
sometimes  chrome  orange,  brick  red  or  burnt 
sienna,  are  to  be  added,  these  hues  varying 
greatly.  Careful  observers  will  note  that  by 
reserving  special  colors  (the  blue  principally) 
for  the  gloss  coating  only,  or  last  application 
of  varnish,  quite  a  different  result  can  be 
obtained. 

As  for  the  thick,  uniform  and  unctuous 
enamels,  found  on  oriental,  Italian,  Spanish, 
Nevers,  Nancy,  old  Dresden,  Palissy  and 
Moustiers  specimens,  this  rich  appearance 
can  be  imitated  by  a  profuse  use  of  the  var¬ 
nish  employed,  in  which  but  a  little  of  the 
proper  light  shade  is  mixed. 

Should,  on  the  contrary,  the  proportion 
of  varnish  employed  have  been  too  great, 
this  can  be  remedied  by  rubbing  the  surface 
slightly  with  some  prepared  whiting  wet  with 
water,  using  the  finger  or  a  fine  rag,  and  wip¬ 
ing  off  the  deposit  of  powder  with  another 
piece  of  dry,  soft  muslin. 

If  we  should  give  all  the  invaluable  re¬ 
marks  a  long  experience  has  enabled  us  to 
make  about  the  working  and  the  mixing  of 
paints,  they  would  carry  us  far  beyond  the 
limits  we  have  intended  to  give  this  book; 
therefore,  we  are  going  to  add  but  a  few 


GROUNDS - DIFFERENT  WHITES.  63 

words,  in  reference  to  the  color  that  comes 
next  in  importance  to  the  white — the  blue. 
The  richest  hues,  known  as  Sevres  blue, 
king’s  blue,  and  deep  ultramarine,  are  imi¬ 
tated  with  ultramarine  and  carmine.  When 
too  rich,  a  little  yellow  ochre  is  added ;  if  it 
inclines  toward  the  violet,  more  carmine  is 
wanted ;  and  when  pale  or  faded,  a  particle 
of  white  zinc  is  employed,  keeping  always 
enough  varnish  in  the  mixture  to  simulate 
well  the  enamel.  For  Chinese  and  Japanese 
blues,  black  is  added;  sometimes  Prussian 
blue,  ochre  and  white,  are  combined  sepa¬ 
rately  or  altogether  with  the  ultramarine. 

XXIII. — Polishing  Painted  Surfaces. 

In  spite  of  all  possible  care  exerted  in  the 
laying  of  the  grounds,  and  owing  to  the  strong 
body  of  the  varnish  lastly  employed,  the 
painted  surfaces  will  look,  though  sufficient¬ 
ly  glossy,  rough,  uneven,  presenting  a  suc¬ 
cession  of  undulations  that  will  make  the 
whole  differ  obviously  from  the  adjacent 
smooth  parts  of  the  restored  article.  To 
correct  this  very  objectionable  appearance 
we  have  recourse  to  the  levelling  and  polish¬ 
ing  of  the  painting.  A  piece  of  flannel, 
dampened  with  water  and  sprinkled  with 
finely  powdered  pumice  stone  or  nitrate  of 
baryta,  is  repeatedly  passed  over  the  painting, 
decreasing  the  amount  of  rubbing  as  the 
edges  of  the  coating  are  neared.  No  soak- 


64  POLISHING  PAINTED  SURFACES. 

ing  is  to  be  allowed,  and  no  friction  should 
be  persevered  in,  unless  the  rag  be  sufficient¬ 
ly  wet.  When  the  surface  is  sufficiently  lev¬ 
eled,  another  dry  rag  is  used  to  remove  all 
dampness  and  all  of  the  scratching  pow¬ 
der  at  the  same  time.  The  second  operation 
is  the  polishing,  which  is  done  by  an  applica¬ 
tion  of  olive  oil,  pure,  or  assisted  by  some 
white  insoluble  powder,  using  cloth  or  flan¬ 
nel  ;  finally,  another  dry  rubbing  with  whit¬ 
ing  or  starch  is  necessary  to  remove  the  oily 
filth  entirely.  According  to  circumstances 
the  levelling  is  done  before  the  glossing,  or 
before  every  successive  coating  with  the  gloss¬ 
less  ground  shade ;  the  polishing  applies  to 
the  varnish  coat  only. 

XXIV. — Regilding — Metallic  Reflec¬ 
tion. 

The  patching  of  the  metal  decorated  parts 
requires  as  much  of  our  attention  as  every 
other  branch  of  the  painting.  In  general 
we  apply  the  gold,  silver,  etc.,  last,  for  by 
proceeding  otherwise,  the  consecutive  and 
repeated  handlings  of  the  ornament  would 
probably  erase  or  at  least  tarnish  such  deli¬ 
cate  work.  It  may  be  also  added  that  the 
latter  is  much  the  less  extensive  part  of  the 
decorating  process ;  though  its  intelligent 
application  enhances  considerably  the  ap¬ 
pearance,  and  therefore  the  value,  of  the 
adorned  article. 


REGILDING - METALLIC  REFLECTION.  65 


Not  more  than  half  a  dozen  different 
shades  of  gold  are  met  with  by  the  restorer ; 
and  amid  this  limited  number  are  some  that 
can  be  closely  imitated  by  the  intermixing 
of  the  others;  metal  inks,  gold  mixtures,  and 
other  secret  compositions  are  entirely  set 
aside  by  us,  the  green  color  of  the  vehicle 
being  an  evident  proof  that  the  bronzes  have 
been" already  more  or  less  oxidized  by  their 
immersion  in  the  liquid. 

Exception  is  made,  however,  of  gold  and 
silver  on  shells  or  cups,  which  are  only  finely 
divided  metals  in  gum  mucilage.  If  on 
hand  they  can  be  utilized  and  will  answer 
very  well  whenever  a  proper  surface  is  ot¬ 
tered  (not  recently  oil  painted  or  varnished), 
and  a  dull  appearance  not  objectionable; 
but  we  think  these  by  far  too  expensive  for 
a  somewhat  considerable  job. 

All  the  white  metals  are  best  obtained, 
like  the  silver  itself,  in  powder ;  but,  more 
fortunate  than  our  ancestors,  we  are  furnished 
by  commerce  with  very  good  imitations  of 
the  more  precious  ore  ;  so,  when  provided 
with  the  costly  powder,  or  the  leaves,  we 
can  limit  its  use  to  cases  where  the  coarse¬ 
ness  of  the  bronze  powders  would  prevent 
the  fine  sparkling  effect  of  the  burnished 
metal.  On  potteries  not  enamelled  and 
bisque  figures,  the  bronzes  will  prove  quite 
sufficient ;  and  modern  ornaments  or  Asiatic 
productions  seldom  require  the  use  of  the 

5 


66  REGILDING - METALLIC  REFLECTION. 

expensive  substance.  In  such  cases,  we  pre¬ 
fer  the  powders  mixed  with  copal  varnish 
as  indicated  for  all  the  other  colors,  and 
diluted  with  a  maximum  quantity  of  oil  of 
turpentine,  in  order  that  the  mixture  shall 
produce  no  gloss,  but  possess  only  the  adhe¬ 
sive  power  necessary  for  the  uniform  spread¬ 
ing  of  the  metal ;  silver,  or  any  other  metal, 
is  to  be  applied  in  the  same  manner. 

But  when  the  gold  to  be  imitated  has  the 
bright  appearance,  the  fine  metal  must  be 
employed.  Then  the  use  of  the  brush  is  to 
be  abandoned  entirely ;  that  is  to  say,  as 
far  as  the  spreading  of  the  fine  material  is 
concerned.  Two  different  methods  can  be 
adopted:  I.  When  the  decoration  is  wanted 
on  portions  not  recently  oil  painted  or  var¬ 
nished,  gold  leaf  work  gives  very  good  re¬ 
sults,  proceeding  as  follows  :  A  very  weak 
solution  of  gum  water  is  used  to  design  the 
requisite  parts  and  afterwards  allowed  to 
dry ;  by  simply  breathing  on  the  article,  be 
it  china,  glass,  ivory  or  metal,  sufficient  ad¬ 
hesive  power  will  be  produced  for  the  gold 
leaf  work,  which,  to  be  executed  properly, 
requires  special  care.  2.  The  second  pro¬ 
cess  consists  in  preparing,  or  preferably  buy¬ 
ing,  some  of  the  composition  known  among 
paint  dealers  as  gilder’s  mixture,  or  some 
japanner’s  gold  size.  The  former  is  made 
of  fat  oil  and  ochre,  to  which  a  small  pro¬ 
portion  of  dryer  is  added.  Chrome  yellow, 


REGILDING — -METALLIC  REFLECTION.  6/ 

light  or  deep,  brick  red,  etc.,  are  also  added 
to  better  correspond  with  the  shade  of  the 
wanted  gold  ;  if  for  silver,  white  of  zinc  is  em¬ 
ployed.  Brought  up  to  paint  consistency  by 
a  moderate  quantity  of  spirits  of  turpentine, 
it  is  employed  with  a  brush  to  draw  the  de¬ 
sired  ornaments,  and  the  mixture  being 
allowed  from  15  to  24  hours  to  dry,  accord¬ 
ing  to  the  proportion  of  siccatif  entering  into 
it,  is  ready  for  the  application  of  the  gold, 
silver  or  other  metal,  beaten  in  leaves  as 
well  as  ground  to  powder.  Practice  only 
can  tell  when  the  mixture  has  acquired  the 
proper  degree  of  dryness  for  the  best  adher- 
ency  of  the  metal  upon  it ;  it  should  be  only 
clammy  to  the  touch.  The  metallic  leaves 
are  laid  on  with  cotton-wool  or  gilder’s  tips 
(wide  long-haired  brushes),  and  the  powders 
are  spread  with  a  soft  piece  of  cloth  or  cha¬ 
mois  skin  rolled  up  in  the  shape  of  a  stump. 
Should  not  the  gentle  rubbing  with  the  pow¬ 
der  give  the  satisfactory  brilliancy,  the  piece 
should  be  allowed  to  dry  for  a  few  days 
more,  after  which  the  agate  or  blood-stone 
burnisher,  actively  brought  into  use,  will 
give  the  desired  result. 

XXV. — Biscuit — Parian  Marble. 

The  restoration  of  biscuit  or  bisque  differs 
very  little  from  that  of  porcelain,  and  the 
numerous  explanations  given  when  treating 
of  the  different  cements,  make  us  confident 


68 


BISCUIT — PARIAN  MARBLE. 


that  very  little  trouble  ought  to  be  experi¬ 
enced  in  the  choice  of  the  process  of  repair¬ 
ing  or  of  the  cementing  material  to  be  adopt¬ 
ed.  However  difficult  it  seems  to  be  to 
conceal  the  line  left  after  the  use  of  the  pre¬ 
pared  shellac  on  a  white  surface,  we  persist 
in  recommending  that  substance  for  the 
more  exposed  parts  of  the  article,  especially 
when  they  are  relatively  heavy  and  protru¬ 
ding  considerably,  as  for  instance,  the  ex¬ 
tended  arm  of  a  figure.  Sometimes,  taking 
advantage  of  the  cavities  formed  by  the  fold¬ 
ings  of  the  dress  or  the  surrounding  raised 
work,  the  riveting  can  be  effected  and  the 
clasps  hidden  entirely  by  bringing  level  over 
them  the  surfaces  by  means  of  the  artificial 
plastic  paste,  or  even  adding  new  raised  or¬ 
naments  to  conceal  them.  Plaster,  clay, 
terra-cotta  and  earthen-ware,  are  easily 
grooved  out  to  admit  them  ;  but  the  same 
work  can  be  done  on  biscuit  or  harder  sub¬ 
stances  only  when  provided  with  the  emery 
wheel. 

Painting  on  white  surfaces  is  somewhat 
difficult  to  execute  ;  the  white  paint  (colored 
to  correspond),  made  of  varnish  containing 
an  excess  of  turpentine,  can  be  used,  provi¬ 
ded  the  edges  are  well  blended.  Equal 
parts  of  white  of  zinc  and  whiting  in  very 
weak  glue  water,  gum  water,  or  milk,  are 
also  employed  with  good  results.  Several 
coatings  being  always  necessary,  the  paint 


BISCUIT — -PARIAN  MARBLE.  69 

should  be  very  weak.  Well  regulated  must 
be  the  quantity  of  it  the  brush  is  charged 
with ;  promptness  and  regularity  in  the  ap¬ 
plication  being  the  best  elements  of  success. 
When  dry,  a  final  rubbing  with  the  finest 
No.  00  sand-paper  will  restore  the  semi-pol¬ 
ish  of  the  grain. 

XXVI. — Cloisonne  and  Enamel  Work. 

Cloisonnage  is  executed  in  many  different 
ways.  The  metallic  ribbon  separating  the 
differently  colored  enamels  is  sometimes 
fastened  on  the  copper  or  brass  sheets  of 
which  the  article  is  made;  and,  at  other 
times,  is  simply  laid  on  potteries  of  hard  or 
soft  make.  The  difficulty  in  the  restoration 
of  these  elaborate  pieces,  is  particularly  due 
to  the  presence  of  these  little  ribbons,  which, 
owing  to  the  ductile  material  of  which  they 
are  made,  do  not  break,  but  tear  off,  and 
carry  away  part  of  the  loosened  enamel.  To 
reset  the  metallic  bands  is  assuredly  not  prac¬ 
ticable,  and  therefore  the  best  way  is  to  cut 
them  off  level  to  the  surface  with  scissors  or 
sharp  wire-cutters.  Being  freed  of  obstacles 
to  the  good  joining  of  the  main  parts,  the 
article  is  cemented,  shellacked,  or  fastened 
by  additional  pieces  of  metal,  neatly  soldered 
on,  inside  or  outside,  according  to  the  case. 
Then,  making  use  of  the  finest  available 
flat-file,  the  little  metal  roughnesses  are 
smoothed  down  even  with  the  enamel,  taking 


CLOISONNE  AND  ENAMEL  WORK. 


care  not  to  rub  on  it,  for  it  would  resist  the 
action  of  the  tool  and  quickly  spoil  it.  With 
proper  care,  the  use  of  fine  sand-paper  can 
be  indulged  in  to  insure  a  greater  uniformity 
of  surface. 

The  process  of  the  making,  approximatively 
followed,  is  alone  susceptible  of  giving  satis¬ 
faction  ;  no  recourse  to  the  paint  is  necessary 
nor  practicable  in  that  case,  as  the  differences 
of  coloring  between  the  different  parts  will 
be  obtained  by  the  varied  shades  given  the 
paste  that  is  to  fill  the  cavities.  This  paste 
can  be  made  of  white  or  yellow  wax,  in  which 
rosin  (one-third)  is  dissolved  and  colored 
with  a  mixture  of  dry  colors,  producing  at 
will  the  opacity  or  transparency  of  the  sam¬ 
ple,  according  to  the  quantity  of  w'hite  em¬ 
ployed;  the  metallic  lines  are  drawn  with  the 
bronze  paint,  spread  with  a  very  narrow  brush. 
But  such  work  can  hardly  stand  any  hand¬ 
ling,  and  is  to  be  executed  only  by  persons  that 
attend  personally  to  their  collections.  A 
better  result  by  far  can  be  secured  by  giving 
the  gum-whiting  paste  the  desired  color ; 
in  that  case  a  little  trial-piece  should  be  com¬ 
posed  of  each  separate  color,  which,  being 
dried  and  waxed  up  to  give  the  necessary 
lustre,  will  serve  for  comparison.  The  metal 
lines  are  to  be  imitated  as  directed  above. 
More  pains  will  insure  a  much  better  job,  and 
the  hard  paste  used  will  not  only  greatly 
strengthen  the  broken  parts,  but  the  colors 


CLOISONNE  AND  ENAMEL  WORK.  Jl 

themselves  will  prove  as  perfectly  lasting  as 
those  of  any  other  part  on  the  same  article. 

The  repairing  of-  enamel  work  requires 
good  judgment  and  the  most  attentive  care. 
The  metal  parts  of  gold,  silver,  or  copper, 
having  recovered  their  original  shape  by 
hammering,  gentle  pressure  with  a  piece  of 
hard  wood  or  by  the  use  of  appropriate  tools, 
are  covered  with  the  gum  shellac,  obtain- 
ing  a  good  adhesion,  and  levelling  with  a 
heated  blade.  The  imperfections  are  to  be 
corrected  with  the  gum-whiting  paste,  a  fine 
brush  moistened  with  water  serving  to  round 
up  the  parts  the  knife  would  not  work  suc¬ 
cessfully.  The  consecutive  operations  are 
the  same  as  those  practised  on  porcelain 
or  earthen-ware,  the  only  difference  con¬ 
sisting  in  a  more  profuse  use  of  the  var¬ 
nish  employed  in  the  coloring.  Sometimes, 
to  set  off  the  brilliant  colors,  or  to  better 
imitate  precious  gems,  some  sheets  of  gold 
foil  (silver  for  the  enamels  of  basse-taille) 
are  laid  under  the  transparent  enamel.  Then 
we  have  to  use  the  same  material  ourselves, 
and  we  fasten  it  on  the  paste  by  means  of  a 
little  dryer,  before  the  application  of  the  var¬ 
nish  colors.  It  should  be  remembered  that 
prepared  glue  will  answer  very  poorly  to 
fasten  loose  pieces  of  enamel ;  for,  the  metal, 
having  been  somewhat  bent  out  of  shape,  the 
particles  fit  but  very  imperfectly ;  we  prefer 
the  use  of  Canadian  balsam,  which  by  its  per¬ 
fect  transparency  insures  entire  satisfaction. 


72  BOHEMIAN  OR  VENETIAN  GLASS. 

XXVII. — Bohemian  or  Venetian  Glass. 

Cut  Crystal 

Many  different  processes  can  be  used  when 
broken  pieces  of  glass  are  to  be  fastened  to¬ 
gether  ;  the  preference  to  be  given  depends 
entirely  upon  their  size,  form,  weight,  etc., 
and  whether  the  article,  being  repaired,  will  be 
put  in  further  use,  and  to  what  sort  of  influ¬ 
ence  it  will  be  subjected.  A  cologne  bottle, 
for  instance,  can  be  rendered  as  good  as  ever, 
if  provided  with  all  the  pieces,  procuring  a 
perfect  joint ;  for,  strong  alcohol  forming  the 
base  of  the  perfume,  we  can  safely  use  the 
ordinary  glue  cement,  which  is  not  affected 
by  it ;  but,  should  this  bottle  be  washed  out 
with  ordinary  water,  the  glue  would  yield  to 
the  solving  element  of  which  it  is  itself  made. 
On  the  contrary,  an  article  that  will  be  ex¬ 
posed  to  water,  should  be  fastened  with 
boiled  linseed  oil,  Canadian  balsam,  copal 
varnish,  shellac,  or  any  other  sticking  sub¬ 
stance  not  acted  upon  by  water.  Riveting, 
except  for  shellac,  is  necessary  when  the 
article  is  united  with  the  above  substances, 
and  can  be  as  easily  effected  on  glass  as  on 
china  or  earthen-ware.  It  is  recommended 
especially  for  articles  of  great  weight  which 
are  apt  to  fall  apart  again  as  a  consequence 
of  the  complete  drying  of  the  cementing- 
material,  or  on  account  of  the  improper  fit¬ 
ting  obtained  and  unnoticed  at  the  time  of 
the  joining  together.  When  the  particles 


CUT  CRYSTAL. 


73 


of  glass  are  small,  gum  shellac  is  much 
preferable ;  but  when  the  surfaces  to  be  de¬ 
pended  upon  are  very  narrow,  comparatively, 
to  the  strain  the  article  is  exposed  to— as  for 
example  the  stem  of  a  vase,  or  the  middle 
part  of  a  stopper— a  metallic  pin  (brass  or 
iron)  is  inserted  in  the  centre,  to  strengthen 
that  weaker  place.  The  hidden  pin  ought  to 
be  long  enough  to  take  hold  from  the  thicker 
parts,  and  is  not  to  exceed  in  size  one-third 
of  the  diameter  of  the  broken  surface.  The 
two  holes  for  the  pin  must  correspond  very 
exactly ;  and  the  pieces  to  be  bored  out  must 
be  firmly  held  in  a  wood  frame,  by  means  of 
small  wood  wedges  or  screws,  during  the 
operation,  which  requires  a  great  steadiness 
of  hand,  and  we  may  add,  is  also  not  always 
exempt  from  risks.  (See  Figs.  6,  7,  p.  45-) 

XXVIII. — Metal  Rings — Bronze  Orna¬ 
ments. 

Should  the  slender  part  offer  an  even  sur¬ 
face,  the  pin  is  advantageously  replaced  by  a 
close-fitting  ring,  very  thin,  plain  or  orna¬ 
mented,  and  wide  enough  to  insure  the  neces¬ 
sary  strength.  These  rings  can  be  made  to 
order  by  any  jeweler;  sometimes  some  can  be 
found  at  the  store  of  a  dealer  in  sinokeis 
goods  which  will  answer  the  purpose  very  well. 
But  why  not  at  once  tell  how  to  make  these 
rings?  We  seldom,  in  a  long  practice,  have 
found  an  outsider  understanding  as  well  as 


74  METAL  RINGS — BRONZE  ORNAMENTS. 

ourselves  what  we  want  exactly  in  these 
little  matters,  which  cannot  be  of  more  im¬ 
portance  to  him  than  the  small  amount  of 
money  he  can  derive  therefrom. 

So,  we  cut  a  little  band  of  paper,  being  in 
width  the  height  of  the  proposed  ring ;  we 
turn  it  round  the  stem  to  measure  the  length 
to  be  given  the  sheet  of  metal,  allowing 
enough  for  the  difference  in  thickness.  Then, 
we  cut  out  the  metal,  brass  or  German  silver, 
with  a  pair  of  scissors  or  metal  shears.  We 
give  it  the  round  shape  on  a  piece  of  iron 
rod,  and  we  hold  the  edges  close  together 
by  means  of  a  very  fine  piece  of  wire.  Hav¬ 
ing  placed  one  or  two  small  lumps  of  tin  over 
the  seam,  inside  the  ring,  we  pass  the  whole 
over  the  spirit  lamp,  or  use  the  blow-pipe 
until  the  soldering  is  effected.  As  the  tin 
would  not  alone  spread  even  and  adhere  to 
the  brass,  we  are  going  to  give  the  receipt 
for  a  liquid  solder,  which  will  bring  the  neces¬ 
sary  assistance ;  we  have  found  it  answering 
equally  well  on  iron,  which  makes  us  consider 
it  as  a  precious  acquisition.  One  drop  applied 
on  the  tin  will  cause  it  to  run  immediately. 
Take  of  muriatic  acid  (hydrochloric)  12  fluid 
ounces  ;  zinc  3  ounces ;  muriate  of  ammonia 
half  an  ounce;  alcohol  one  ounce.  Then 
put  the  zinc  into  a  stout  flask,  gradually 
pour  the  acid  upon  it,  and  let  it  stand  until 
the  effervescence  has  ceased  ;  then  decant  the 
clear  liquid,  dissolve  the  salt  of  ammonia  and 


METAL  RINGS - BRONZE  ORNAMENTS.  75 

add  the  alcohol.  Having  been  led  to  speak 
about  metal  work,  and  having  explained  how 
to  effect  soldering  on  brass,  we  at  the  same 
time  have  removed  the  great  obstacle  to  the 
repairing  of  metal  mountings,  that  are  often 
affixed  to  fine  ornamental  wares.  Though 
the  brazing  would  be  more  reliable,  it  is  only 
applied  when  the  metal  can  be  easily  sepa- 
rated  (unscrewed)  from  the  main  piece,  for 
fear  the  excessive  heat  required  to  melt  the 
hard  solder  would  endanger  the  adjacent 
pieces  of  pottery,  thus  saving  time  and 
avoiding  the  risk  of  taking  apart.  In  mak¬ 
ing  use  of  the  blow-pipe,  the  practitioner 
should  not  allow  the  flame  to  be  steadily 
directed  on  the  brittle  substance,  as  the  heat 
projected  on  a  single  spot  would  crack  the 
ornament,  the  neighboring  parts  not  partak¬ 
ing  of  the  necessary  gradual  expansion. 
Quite  a  number  of  separate  bronze  orna¬ 
ments  can  be  restored  in  the  same  way ;  but 
what  has  been  said  above  does  not  apply,  in 
the  least,  to  bronze  imitations,  which  are  mere 
castings  of  lead  or  pewter  containing  zinc, 
bismuth,  etc.,  and  that  very  seldom  stand  a 
new  application  of  heat. 

XXIX. — Terra-Cotta  and  Clay  Work. 

Small  articles  made  of  terra-cotta,  painted 
in  oil-color,  varnish,  or  any  other  liquid  form¬ 
ing  a  gloss,  are,  as  a  rule,  most  easily  re¬ 
paired  ;  a  discreet  amount  of  prepared  glue 


7 6  TERRA-COTTA  AND  CLAY  WORK. 


will  generally  answer  the  purpose  ;  still  bet¬ 
ter  will  be  the  mucilage  made  of  gum  traga- 
canth.  When  the  parts  are  more  exposed  or 
have  to  stand  more  strain,  the  gum  shellac 
should  be  preferred.  Sometimes,  considering 
the  shape  or  the  narrowness  of  the  damaged 
parts,  we  insert  inside  the  article  wooden  pegs 
or  metal  pins  as  has  been  explained  about 
glass  ware  (Chap.  XXVII.)  We  shall  not 
speak  further  about  the  finishing  or  coloring 
part,  already  amply  treated.  Extra  large 
pieces,  such  as  garden-vases,  statuary,  must 
be  relieved  of  all  possible  dampness  before 
beginning  the  cementing  operation.  When 
properly  dried  they  are  joined  with  putty, 
gum  aiabic  and  plaster,  or  any  other  preferred 
cement — a  number  of  them  being  given  in 
Chap.  XV.— and  finally  riveted  together. 

Repairing  of  terra-cotta  not  painted  and 
that  of  baked  clay  are  exactly  alike.  The 
clay  ornaments,  figurines,  busts  and  groups, 
etc.,  that  have  been  soiled  by  dust  or  greasy 
contact  with  the  hands,  should  be  (unless 
anterior  repairs  are  suspected)  entirely 
cleansed  in  potash  water  or  hot  suds  and 
well  rinsed  off ;  being  well  dried,  they  are 
put  together  with  the  appropriate  cement, 
and  the  cracks  are  filled  up,  the  missing  parts 
provided  for,  etc.,  except  the  oiling.  The 
main  difficulty  consists  in  the  coloring,  which 
at  first  sight  seems,  on  the  contrary,  the  most 
easy  part  of  the  job.  None  but  water-colors 


TERRA-COTTA  AND  CLAY  WORK.  77 

can  be  successfully  applied  on  clay ;  and,  if 
not  spread  out  with  dexterity  and  uniformity, 
they  will  soak  out  the  glue  that  has  been 
employed  to  cement  together,  or  will  deform 
the  filling  work  just  completed. 

If  the  piece  is  fastened  with  shellac,  the 
water-color,  not  being  absorbed  by  that  gum, 
as  it  is  by  the  clay,  has  a  tendency  to  run, 
and  leaves  but  a  series  of  small  drops  of 
darker  color.  It  is  to  remedy  this  difficulty 
that  some  have  given  suggestions  for  joining 
together  with  plaster,  the  pieces  and  their 
surroundings  being  previously  well  moistened 
with  water.  This  might  do  well  enough  for 
one  or  two  pieces  occupying  a  well-framed 
space,  but  we  think  the  plaster  does  not  in¬ 
sure  in  every  case  enough  of  the  necessary 
solidity  to  be  generally  recommended. 

If  the  proportion  of  gum  arabic  or  glue  is 
too  great,  the  color  coating  will  shell  off  after 
a  few  days’  drying,  or  will  form  a  stain  on  the 
clay ;  and,  if  the  quantity  of  powder  is  not 
sufficient,  it  will  not  cover  enough  ;  a  moder¬ 
ate  amount  of  each  is  to  be  employed.  A 
great  variety  of  shades  are  given  to  the  clay  ; 
the  one  more  often  encountered  can  be  imi¬ 
tated  by  using  white  of  zinc  and  yellow 
ochre,  each  four  parts,  brick  red  two,  and 
black  one.  Some  Italian  makes  need  only 
ochre  and  burnt  umber. 

The  color  mixture  on  the  slab  must  be 
kept  much  above  the  sample,  for  it  will 


j8  TERRA-COTTA  AND  CLAY  WORK. 

weaken  considerably  in  drying.  A  little 
touch  with  it,  given  on  some  part  of  the 
base,  will  greatly  assist  toward  the  desired 
result.  Two  consecutive  coatings  are  always 
necessary.  For  supplementary  instructions, 
see  Biscuit  Coloring  (Chap.  XXV.) 

XXX. — Repairing,  Painting  and  Bronz¬ 
ing  on  Plaster. 

The  soft  nature  of  plaster,  and  the  want  of 
adherence  between  its  particles,  render  it  a 
most  indocile  substance  to  cement  with  the 
gum  shellac  in  its  ordinary  state.  But  its 
surface  can  be  easily  hardened  by  satuiating 
with  a  solution  of  alum  or  borax  applied  with 
a  brush ;  in  this  condition  it  will  admit  any 
sort  of  paint  application.  Attempting  to 
clean  it  by  rubbing  with  sand-paper  or  scrap¬ 
ing  tools  would  seriously  damage  it,  for  it 
would  lay  bare  the  little  cavities  or  air-holes, 
contained  in  the  plaster.  Cleansing  liquids 
being  of  no  avail,  we  will  indicate  how  to 
color  the  pieces.  They  can  be  given  the 
appearance  of  clay  by  following  the  pre- 
viously  given  directions,  or  be  made  to  imi¬ 
tate  bronze.  Several  processes  can  be  se¬ 
lected  from.  We  give  the  plainest  one.  The 
borax  or  alum  coating  being  sufficiently  dry, 
prepare  a  very  weak  solution  of  glue  tinted 
to  the  desired  shade;  try  on  some  hidden 
part  of  the  base,  and  if  satisfactory,  paint  the 


REPAIRING,  PAINTING,  AND  BRONZING.  79 

article  with  it,  avoiding  the  filling  of  all  small 
cavities.  A  good  shade  can  be  obtained  with 
Prussian  blue,  black,  and  yellow  ochre.  Give 
the  first  coating  time  to  dry,  and  apply  a 
second  one.  The  salient  parts  are  touched 
up  with  some  bronze  powder  before  the  com¬ 
plete  drying  of  the  second  coat,  blending  the 
edges ;  or,  if  already  too  dry,  by  breathing 
on  it  it  will  adhere  sufficiently.  Lastly,  to 
give  the  burnished  appearance,  some  wax 
encaustic  is  spread  on  and  rubbed  uniformly. 
Some  artisans  have  carried  so  far  the  art  of 
applying  all  sorts  of  painting  on  plaster  or 
clays,  that  they  imitate  old  wood  carvings, 
ivories,  dug-out  medals  or  metal  relics,  ori¬ 
ental  fire-arms,  panoplies,  rusted  iron-mon- 
gery,  old  worm-eaten  frames,  etc.,  in  fact,  all 
sorts  of  old  and  rare  objects,  in  the  most 
deceiving  manner. 

Such  perfect  imitations,  no  doubt,  are 
creditable  to  the  marvellous  talent  displayed 
by  the  artists  engaged  in  that  occupation ; 
but,  we  may  add  with  a  deep  sense  of  satis¬ 
faction,  that  the  sale  of  these  pernicious  plas¬ 
ters  is  as  limited  as  that  of  the  genuine  and 
incomparably  more  costly  articles.  Very 
limited  as  yet  is  the  number  of  customers 
found  for  these ;  and  we  hope,  for  the  sake 
of  decency  and  good  taste,  to  hear  that  the 
filling  up  of  houses  with  these  base  substitu¬ 
tions  has  been  entirely  abandoned. 


80  CLEANING  DELICATE  ORNAMENTS. 

XXXI—  Cleaning  Delicate  Ornaments. 

Being  strongly  opposed  to  the  use  of  any 
patent  preparations,  on  account  of  the  worth¬ 
less  imitations  of  the  deserving  article,  we 
recommend  not  to  use  any  secret  polishing 
compound,  except  when  bought  direct  from 
a  responsible  concern.  The  majority  of  these 
articles  are  injurious  to  fine  work,  being  made 
of  improperly  sifted  powders  ;  some  are  found 
that  contain  salts  of  tin,  mercury,  copper  or 
acids,  pumice-stone,  etc.,  whose  action  it  is 
impossible  to  foretell.  We  have  indicated 
how  to  deprive  the  common  whiting  of  sand 
or  other  scratching  particles  (see  Chap.  X\  I.) 
This  powder  is  as  servicable  as  any,  and  its 
action  is  only  mechanical. 

Working  in  a  warm  room,  the  gold  or  sil¬ 
ver-plated  bronze  must  be  well  deprived  of 
any  greasy  substance,  by  scrubbing  it  with 
hot  suds,  as  we  would  a  piece  of  biscuit  or 
Parian  marble ;  any  green  spots  are  to  be 
removed  with  vinegar  or  weak  sulphuric  acid. 
The  piece  is  rinsed  out  in  water  (rain  water 
preferably)  and  sprinkled  all  over  with  hot 
sawdust,  to  remove  quickly  all  the  dampness , 
it  is  then  dusted  off.  Coating  it  all  over  with 
well  diluted  whiting,  giving  time  for  partial 
drying,  all  the  work  is  gone  over  with  a 
wide  tooth  brush,  to  remove  the  white  pow¬ 
der  entirely.  On  modern  brass  goods,  highly 
polished  and  varnished,  no  water  application 
should  be  allowed.  A  fine  rag  just  damp  is 


CLEANING  DELICATE  ORNAMENTS.  8 1 

all  that  can  be  used.  Should  they  be  decided¬ 
ly  altered,  the  best  way  is  to  hand  them  over 
to  the  manufacturer,  who  has  all  the  appli¬ 
ances  to  unvarnish  and  revarnish  them  after 
having  subjected  them  to  another  polishing. 

Glass-wares. — The  vulgar  notion  that 
everything  is  best  cleansed  by  using  hot 
scalding  water,  is  to  be  entirely  forgotten 
when  cleaning  refers  to  pieces  of  cut  glass, 
or  even  thin  pieces  of  either  porcelain  or 
earthen-ware.  Quick  transitions  of  heat  and 
cold  are  to  be  carefully  avoided ;  and  even 
the  use  of  lukewarm  or  tepid  water  on  heavy 
glass  is  not  less  dangerous  than  that  of  boiling 
water  itself. 

Potash,  soda,  soap,  cream  of  tartar,  yolk 
of  eggs,  etc.,  are  readily  found  in  any  house¬ 
hold,  and  are  amply  sufficient  to  assist  the 
cold  water.  Well  rinsed  out,  the  piece  is 
laid  aside  to  dry  on  a  clean  towel,  without 
being  wiped  off. 

Marble  and  Alabaster. — To  take  spots  out 
of  marble  hearths  or  statuary,  the  following 
receipts  can  be  tried:  I.  Wash  off  every  morn¬ 
ing,  with  white  soap  and  water,  until  the  spot 
disappears.  2.  Pearl  ash,  fuller’s  earth  and 
whiting,  equal  parts ;  mix  with  alcohol  to  a 
paste  and  cover  the  spots.  3.  A  piece  of 
chamois  skin  wet  with  chloroform  or  benzine, 
and  renewed  several  times.  4.  Equal  parts 
of  whiting  and  pumice-stone  in  powder,  mixed 
with  water  and  white  soap  brought  to  a  froth. 

6 


82  CLEANING  DELICATE  ORNAMENTS. 


5.  Diluted  sulphuric  or  muriatic  acid,  from 
five  to  twenty  parts  of  water  for  one  of  acid ; 
begin  with  the  weakest  solution  and  rinse 
out  profusely  with  water,  after  the  acid 
application. 

Should  any  powder  or  acid  have  destroyed 
the  polish,  the  parts  are  rubbed  with  white 
wax,  well  spread  with  a  piece  of  cloth. 

Wood,  plaster,  ivory ,  parchment,  satin,  etc. — 
I.  Calcined  magnesia,  well  dried,  mixed  with 
benzine  to  the  consistency  of  a  friable  mass ; 
cover  the  spot  with  the  paste,  and  renew,  if 
necessary.  2.  Rub  gently  with  the  soft  part 
of  a  clean  piece  of  stale  bread. 

Badly  soiled  plasters— See  Chap.  XXXII. 

Gilding  on  %vood. — No  rubbing,  but  a  very 
soft  paint-brush  dipped  in  rain  water,  passed 
over  the  soiled  parts.  To  restore  the  bright¬ 
ness,  the  gilded  parts  are  done  over  with 
yolk  of  egg,  which  is  employed  as  an  or¬ 
dinary  varnish. 

XXXII. — A  Help  to  the  Memory. 

[When  a  single  date  is  used,  it  is  that  of  the  founding  of 
the  establishment.] 

Alhambra  Vase.  Admirable  specimen  of  Moorish  pot¬ 
tery  found  under  the  pavement  of  the  castle  of  the  Alhambra 
(Grenada,  Spain).  Supposed  make  of  1320;  it  is  four  feet 
three  inches  high,  and  is  made  of  earthen-ware  and  deco¬ 
rated  with  a  most  complicated  raised  work,  enamelled  with 
two  different  shades  of  blue  on  a  white  ground,  the  whole 
heightened  with  gold  and  copper  reflection.  A  copy  of  it 
was  made  in  the  Sevres  factory  in  1842.  There  were  a 
pair  of  them  found,  but  one  got  badly  spoiled,  of  which 
a  French  lady  secured  some  of  the  broken  parts. 


A  HELP  TO  THE  MEMORY. 


83 


Antiquity  of  the  Ceramic  Art.  According  to  Pliny  the 
first  pieces  of  porcelain  seen  in  Rome  were  brought  there 
from  Pontus  in  Asia,  by  the  army  of  Pompey,  64  years 
before  Christ;  but  the  Chinese  were  making  it  1800  years 
before  that ;  pottery  is  supposed  to  have  been  made  in 
China  2690  B.  c. 

Anspach.  Town  of  Saxony,  Germany,  producing  imi¬ 
tations  of  Rouen  earthen-wares.  1718. 

Avignon  (Vaucluse,  France).  Brown  and  yellow 
coarse  potteries.  1500-1715. 

Avon.  Village  near  Fontainebleau,  France,  well  known 
for  its  factories,  making  imitations  of  Palissy  ware. 

Awari.  See  Owari. 

Awata.  Name  given  to  a  Japanese  pottery  of  fine 
quality  with  delicate  crackled  glaze  of  cream  or  velum 
color,  decorated  with  painting  in  enamel  colors,  some¬ 
times  gold.  Known  as  Shiba,  Tokey,  Kioto  or  Tokio. 

Bayreuth.  (Bavaria,  Germany).  Manufactory  of 
earthen-ware  and  porcelain.  1 740. 

Banko  or  Manko.  Japanese  pottery  of  white  or 
brown  clay,  very  thin,  unglazed ;  sometimes  a  fine  black 
glaze  is  used,  decorated  with  impressed  patterns,  also,  with 
bold  paintings  in  enamel  colors,  usually  flowers. 

Beauvais  (Oise,  France).  Enamelled  stone- ware; 
traced  to  the  middle  ages.  1395  to  the  present  day. 

Berlin  (Germany).  “  Kaiser  porzellan  manufactur,” 
specially  devoted  to  hard  porcelain.  1750  to  the  present 
day. 

Bishu.  Japanese  porcelain  with  glaze  of  black  enamel, 
decorated  with  gold.  It  is  generally  called  “  Lac  ware.” 

Bordeaux  (Gironde,  France).  Hard  porcelain.  1714 
to  the  present  day. 

Bottcher  (Johann  Friedrich),  was  an  assistant  in  a 
Berlin  apothecary’s  shop.  To  escape  persecution,  having 
been  denounced  as  an  alchemist,  he  fled  to  Saxony,  his 
native  country.  August  the  Second,  visiting  Dresden  at 
the  time,  having  been  told  of  the  young  man  as  having 
discovered  the  universal  panacea,  secured  a  private  meet¬ 
ing  with  him ;  but,  notwithstanding  his  denial,  had  him 
watched  by  another  alchemist  named  Ehrenfried  Walter 
von  Tschirnhatts.  The  action  of  the  fire  on  the  crucibles 
employed  by  his  companion,  led  Bottcher  to  compare  them 


84 


A  HELP  TO  THE  MEMORY. 


with  Chinese  porcelain,  and  he  spoke  about  it,  but,  for  fear 
the  remarks  would  attract  outsiders’  attention,  the  king 
assigned  him  the  castle  of  Albrechtsburg  at  Messein,  as  a 
tuture  residence.  When  Charles  the  iwelfth  of  Sweden 
conquered  Saxony  in  1706,  King  August  sent,  with  a  strong 
cavalry  escort,  Bottcher,  Tschirnhaus  and  their  three  work¬ 
men  assistants,  to  the  fortress  of  Konigstein,  where  a  labora¬ 
tory  was  constructed  for  them.  The  following  year  they 
were  brought  back  to  Dresden,  and  there  continued  their 
experiments.  Some  knowledge  of  the  processes  and 
earths  employed  by  the  Chinese,  having  been  transmitted 
to  France  by  Francois  Xavier  d’Entrecolles,  a  resident  in 
that  barbarous  country,  helped  considerably  the  progress 
in  the  new  art.  Tschirnhaus  died  in  1703,  and  Bottcher 
was  given  charge  of  the  factory  the  king  had  just  erected 
in  Messein.  Most  unfortunately,  he  superintended  the 
works  but  four  years,  dying  in  1719,  only  reaching  the 
thirty-seventh  year  of  his  age.  The  greatest  secrecy  was 
required  of  all  connected  with  the  manufactory.  How¬ 
ever,  permits  to  visit  the  works  were  granted  to  Brongniart, 
the  French  chemist,  at  the  instance  of  the  all-powerful 
Napoleon  the  First,  1812. 

Bourg-La-Reine  (Seine,  France).  Hard  porcelain. 
1 7  73. 

Bow  or  Stratford-on- Bow  (England).  Soft  poice- 
lain.  1730. 

Bristol  (England).  Hard  porcelain,  1 772  5  so‘c  poice- 
lain,  1774;  earthen-ware,  1787. 

Buen-Retiro  (Spain).  Celebrated  porcelain  factory 
of  soft  paste,  situated  in  the  palace  of  Charles  the  Third, 
in  Madrid.  1759-1812. 

Burslem  (England).  Important  ceramic  centre;  solt 

porcelain  and  biscuit.  I77°- 

Capo-di-Monte  (Italy).  Earthen-ware  and  soft  porce¬ 
lain.  1736-1821.  ,  ,  ,  . 

Chantilly  (Oise,  France).  Soft  and  hard  porcelain, 

pipe  clay.  1725-1817.  .  . 

Chelsea  (England).  Old  and  important  porcelain 

factory.  1730-1765.  . 

Chinese  Porcelain.  Under  the  dynasty  of  Tsin,  265-419 
A.  D.,  the  porcelain  made  at  Tsong-ngeou  was  held  in  great 
esteem.  In  583  the  factories  of  King-te-tching,  placed  under 


A  HELP  TO  THE  MEMORY. 


§5 


the  patronage  of  the  court,  received  considerable  impulsion, 
these  works  being  in  activity  for  over  eight  hundred  years. 
The  prevailing  color  of  the  wares  seem  to  have  changed 
with  each  dynasty.  The  Tchin  preferred  the  blue,  577- 
581;  the  Soui,  the  green,  581-618;  the  Thang,  the  pure 
white,  618-907.  The  emperor  Tchin-Tsong  gave  his  name 
to  the  sky-blue  kind,  the  finest  and  the  most  esteemed  amid 
the  ancient  makes,  954-1007.  The  antique  porcelain  is 
classified  as  fellows:  1.  The  finest  quality,  the  Tchai-yao  or 
Tchai,  manufactured  in  the  province  of  Ho-nan,  954  5  the 
secrets  of  its  fabrication  were  lost  many  years  ago.  2.  The 
You-tcheou,  province  of  Kan-son,  960-1279.  3.  The 

Kouan-yao,  or  magistrates’  porcelain,  1107-1117.  4.  The 

Ko-yao,  or  eldest  brother’s  porcelain.  5.  The  Ting-yao, 
province  of  Pe  tchi-li.  The  manufacture  of  the  imitation 
of  the  old  makes  dating  from  the  most  remote  epoch,  the 
exact  description  of  these  different  wares  would  be  of  very 
little  practical  value. 

Choisy-le-Roi  (France).  Centre  of  manufactories  of 
earthen-ware,  soft  and  hard  porcelain.  1 785  to  the  present 
day. 

Cologne  (Germany).  Enamelled  stone-ware.  1550. 

Copeland.  Name  of  a  ceramist.  See  Stoke-on-Trent. 

Delft  (Holland).  Important  centre  of  fabrication  of 
earthen-ware.  1310  to  the  present  day. 

Derby  or  Derby-Chelsea  (England).  Porcelain 
works,  soft  paste.  1750-1770. 

Dresden  (Germany).  City  possessing  the  oldest  col¬ 
lection  of  Chinese  and  Japanese  wares;  also  a  full  col¬ 
lection  of  the  porcelain  productions,  showing  step  by  step 
the  progress  that  important  industry  has  made  since  the 
date  of  its  discovery. 

Ewer  (Aiguiere,  in  French).  High  pitcher  on  a  foot. 

Faenza  (Italy).  One  of  the  oldest  factories  of  the 
kingdom  ;  supposed  origin,  1480.  From  that  name  is  de¬ 
rived  the  French  word,  faience,  meaning  earthen-ware. 

Frankenthal  (Bavaria).  Hard  porcelain.  1754-1760. 

Fulda  (Germany).  Centre  of  porcelain  manufacture, 
started  by  the  Prince-Bishop  of  that  town,  in  his  own  pal¬ 
ace.  1763-1780. 

Fulham  (England).  Renowned  for  its  soft  porcelain 
frpir  s  a'vl  marbled  table-ware,  in  imitation  of  the  Chi¬ 
nese.  16S4. 


86 


A  HELP  TO  THE  MEMORY. 


Furstemberg  (Germany).  Hard  porcelain  factory, 
under  the  protection  of  Charles,  Duke  of  Brunswick. 

I7Gien  (Loiret,  France).  Important  manufactory  of 
earthen-ware  ;  imitations  of  all  ancient  makes. 

Gotha  (Germany).  Manufactory  of  hard  porcelain. 
178c. 

Henri  the  Second.  See  Oiron,  France. 

Heshu  or  Hezen.  Japanese  porcelain  of  fine  quality, 
and  egg-shell  ware,  decorated  with  color  ;  also  blue,  in 
imitation  of  Nankin,  or  ornamented  with  flowers  modelled 
in  slight  relief. 

Hiradoson.  Japanese  porcelain  ;  egg-shell  ware  oi  the 
finest  quality,  decorated  with  blue  and  colors. 

Hochst  on  Mein  (Germany).  Important  factories  of 
earthen-ware  and  porcelain,  under  the  protection  of  the 
Archbishop  of  Mentz.  I74°-  . 

Imari.  Japanese  porcelain,  colors  in  the  enamel; 
leaves  and  flowers  on  white  ground. 

lie  Saint-Denis  (France).  Hard  porcelain.  I77°- 

Kaga  or  Kutani.  Japanese  pottery  and  heavy  porce¬ 
lain  usually  decorated  with  elaborate  paintings  in  red  and 
cold  ;  sometimes  blue  or  green  is  introdifced.  Kutani  is 
the  name  of  the  place  where  the  factories  of  the  Prince  of 
Kaga  are  situated.  . 

Keltersbach  (Germany).  Hard  porcelain.  1750. 

Kio-Tzing  Name  given  by  the  Chinese  to  a  cunous 
kind  of  porcelain.  The  article  is  made  of  two  layers  of 
porcelain  paste;  the  outer  shape  being  procured  by  the 
ordinary  process,  the  decoration  is  done  inside,  covered  with 
another  sheet  of  porcelain  and  enamelled,  so  as  to  conceal 
the  decoration.  Then  the  outside  first  covering  is  eaten 
off  by  the  wheel  as  close  to  the  decoration  as  possible, 
and  finally  enamelled  so  as  to  obliterate  almost  entire  y 
the  colors.  It  is  only  when  the  articles  are  filled  up  with 
liquid  that  the  decoration  appears  plainly  ;  but,  so  much 
time  and  care  are  to  be  bestowed  upon  the  making  ol  the 
Kio-tzing,  that  the  art  is  seldom  practised. 

King-te-Ching.  Great  centre  of  ceramic  manufactuie. 
The  number  of  factories  established  in  that  Chinese  place 
is  estimated  to  be  five  hundred,  and  give  employment 
to  more  than  one  hundred  thousand  artisans. 


A  HELP  TO  THE  MEMORY. 


8/ 


Kioto  or  Kiyoto.  Name  for  Japanese-ware.  Accord¬ 
ing  to  the  finish  of  the  work,  it  is  sometimes  called  Awata 

or  Satzuma.  ,  •  o 

Korzec  (Poland).  Manufactory  of  hard  porcelain.  1803. 
Kutahia  (Turkey).  Ancient  earthen-ware  factory. 
XIVth  to  XIXth  century. 

Kutani.  See  Kaga.  .. 

Ku-Tong.  Name  given  by  the  Chinese  to  the  imita¬ 
tions  of  antique  potteries.  _ 

Lambeth  (England).  Earthen-ware  industry.  Im¬ 
ported  by  the  Dutch ;  fine  tiles.  1640-1646. 

Lille  (Nord,  France).  Centre  of  manufactories.  Earthen¬ 
ware,  1696;  soft  porcelain,  1711  ;  hard  porcelain,  1784. 
Limbach  (Germany).  Hard  porcelain.  1760. 
Limoges  (France).  Porcelain  factoiies.  1 7 7 3 ■ 
Lisieux  (Fiance).  Earthen  table-ware.  1650. 
Liverpool  (England).  Ceramic  centre  for  earthen- ware 
and  soft  porcelain.  1670. 

Locre  (Paris,  France).  Hard  earthen-ware  factory, 
known  under  the  name  of  “  La  Courtille.  *773- 
Lodi  (Italy).  Earthen-ware.  1764. 

Longport  (England).  Ancient  porcelain.  1 793- 
Longwy  (Mozelle,  France).  Important  earthen-ware 
factory  ;  pipe  clay  ;  a  specialty,  called  rock-work.  Fancy 
Japanese  cloisonne  decoration. 

Louisburg  (Germany).  Earthen-ware.  1 725- 
Lucca-della-Robbia.  Family  name  of  the  famous 
Italian  sculptors  who  first  applied  enamel  to  clay.  143?- 
Luneville  (Meurthe,  France).  Important  ceramic 
manufactories,  1 73 1  ;  products  sometimes  called  “Terre 
de  Lorraine.”  Also,  hard  porcelain.  1769. 

Luxemburg  (Holland).  Earthen-ware.  I7°7- 
Lyon  (Rhone,  France).  Birth-place  of  the  earthen¬ 
ware  industry  ;  introduced  into  that  city  by  Jean  Fran- 
cisque,  of  Pesaro,  Italy,  1 53^-  ,  , 

Majolica.  A  kind  of  coarse  pottery  made  on  the 
Island  of  Majorca,  Spain,  where  the  Saracens  had  estab¬ 
lished  a  factory.  Transplanted  into  Sicily,  the  new  in¬ 
dustry  received  the  greatest  impulse  under  Lucca-delia- 
Robbia  from  1400  to  1481,  who  left  many  specimens  dem¬ 
onstrating  amply  the  superiority  of  his  knowledge  in  that 
sort  of  manufacture.  This  pottery  is  first  made  of  red 


88 


A  HELP  TO  THE  MEMORY. 


earth,  then  covered  with  a  layer  of  white  clay,  decorated 
and  varnished  with  a  lead  enamel. 

Majorca  (Spanish  Islands).  Manufactory  of  varnished 
clays  with  metallic  reflections,  traced  as  far  as  the  VUIth 
century. 

Malaga  (Portugal).  Same  production  as  above. 
XHIth  century. 

Manko.  See  Banko. 

Manissez  (Spain).  Ancient  factory.  Earthen-ware 
with  metallic  reflection.  XVth  century. 

Manual  of  pottery  and  porcelain  marks.  A  favorite 
book  for  the  ceramic  amateur,  by  W.  H.  Hooper  and  W.  C. 
Phillips,  London. 

Marieberg  (Sweden).  Earthen-ware;  porcelain.  1750. 

Marseilles  (France).  Important  ceramic  factory ; 
eart,hen-ware,  1697;  hard  porcelain,  1766. 

Meissen  (Saxony).  The  first  place  where  hard  porce¬ 
lain  has  been  manufactured  in  Europe  (1709);  factory 
flourished  most  from  1731  to  1756,  under  the  auspices  of 
August  the  Second,  King  under  the  name  of  August  the 
Third.  After  the  Seven  Years’  war,  Frederick  the  Great 
pillaged  the  factory,  secured  and  conveyed  to  his  factory  at 
Berlin  the  finest  pieces  and  models,  not  forgetting  the  artists 
themselves.  In  1759,  during  the  war  between  Prussia  and 
Austria,  that  site  having  been  transformed  into  a  battle-field, 
the  works,  including  all  the  records,  were  again  destroyed. 

Metched  (Persia).  Manufactory  of  earthen-ware. 

Minton.  See  Stoke-upon-Trent. 

Modena  (Italy).  Ceramic  centre;  renowned  for  its 
great  painters. 

Monte-Lupo  (Italy).  Brown  varnished  clay,  deco¬ 
rated  in  relief  work.  XVIIth  century. 

Montpellier  (Herault,  France).  Earthen-ware.  1755- 

Moscow  (Russia).  Hard  porcelain.  1784. 

Murrhins.  Name  given  to  vases  made  famous  by 
their  antiquity.  At  first  considered  as  Chinese  porcelain  ; 
they  proved  to  be  carved  out  of  a  transparent  stone. 

Nancy  (Meurthe,  France).  Earthen-ware  factory; 
also  biscuit  groups,  statuary.  1774  t0  present  day. 

Nankin  (China).  Very  ancient  manufactories  of  hard 
porcelain. 

Naples  or  Capo-di-Monte  (Italy).  Finely  decorated 


A  HELP  TO  THE  MEMORY.  89 

earthen-ware,  XVIth  century;  soft  porcelain,  1736-1821; 
under  the  protection  of  Charles  the  Second. 

Nevers  (Nievre,  France).  Earthen-ware,  1365.  imi¬ 
tation  of  antique  wares. 

Niederwiller  (France).  Old  ceramic  factories;  earthen¬ 
ware,  1754;  biscuit  and  hard  porcelain,  1794. 

Nuremberg  (Germany).  Manufactory  of  enamelled 
clay;  lead  enamel,  1300 ;  tin  enamel,  1400;  soft  porce¬ 
lain,  1712. 

Oiron  (Deux-Sevres,  France).  Remarkable  earthen¬ 
ware  products,  erroneously  termed  Henri  the  Second. 

Orleans  (Loiret,  France).  Hard  and  soft  porcelain  ; 
some  pieces  were  painted  by  Le  Brun.  1668-1808. 

Ota.  Yellow  pottery,  resembling  Satzuma,  dotted  with 
black  ;  flesh-colored  heads,  encircled  with  gold. 

Owari  or  Awary.  Japanese  porcelain,  decorated  in 
blue,  colors  and  gold;  heavy  gloss  of  celadon  enamel; 
delicate  coloring. 

Padrone  (Italy).  Earthen-ware,  1500  to  the  XVIIth 
century. 

Palissy  (Bernard  de).  Born  in  Agen,  France,  in 
1510.  Apprenticed  at  glass-making  and  glass-painting 
by  trade,  he  devoted  himself  specially  to  the  perfecting  of 
the  enamelling  art,  experimenting  for  sixteen  years, 
until  the  most  satisfactory  results  were  obtained.  He 
wrote  a  most  thrilling  history  of  his  labors,  sacrifices 
a^id  sufferings  during  the  progress  of  his  researches.  His 
perseverance  was  at  last  rewarded,  and  fame,  honors  and 
independence  were  bestowed  upon  him.  But  such  a 
noble  and  energetic  temper  could  not  submit  to  fanatical 
religious  persecution,  and  he  emphatically  manifested  before 
Henri  the  Third  his  determination  to  die  in  Protestantism. 
Imprisoned  in  the  Bastille,  he  ended  his  busy  and  useful 
career  in  his  ninetieth  year.  Ceramist  at  Saintes,  1 535- 

Paris  (France).  The  manufactory  of  potteries  in  that 
city  is  said  to  have  been  contemporary  with  its  occupation 
by  the  Romans.  During  the  Xllth  and  XIVth  centuries, 
unvarnished  articles  of  baked  earth  were  made.  Within 
the  XHIth,  enamelled  pottery  was  started,  and  earthen¬ 
ware  was  first  made  in  1664.  Ancient  porcelain  makes 
were  classified  according  to  the  seat  of  the  factories  : 
Faubourg  St.  Denis  (Count  of  Artois  protection);  Fan- 


go 


A  HELP  TO  THE  MEMORY. 


bourg  St.  Antoine  (Morelle,  director) ;  La  Courtille  (Locre, 
director)  ;  Rue  Thiroux,  surnamed  “  Porcelaine  a  la 
Reine;”  Rue  de  Bondy  (Duke  of  Angouleme  protec¬ 
tion) ;  Pont-aux-Choux  (Duke  of  Orleans  protection); 
Barriere  de  Reuilly  (Chanon,  director)  ;  Rue  de  Crussul 
(Potter,  director)  ;  Fabrique  du  Petit  Carousel. 

Pavia  (Italy).  Manufactory  of  brown  earthen-ware. 
1690. 

Persia.  Ceramic  centre  for  earthen-ware  and  soft 
porcelain;  industry  imported  from  the  Chinese. 

Pesaro  (Italy).  Earthen-ware,  pearl  reflection.  1500. 

Petersburg  (Russia).  Important  hard  porcelain  fac¬ 
tory,  1744;  Imperial  manufactory  under  the  reign  of 
Paul  the  First.  1796-1801. 

Pirkenhammer  (Austria).  Also  termed  Carlsbad; 
the  most  important  of  the  Austrian  porcelain  factories ; 
founded  in  1802  by  two  artisans  from  Saxony,  and  bought 
from  them  by  Christian  fisher,  of  Erfurt,  1818  ;  it  was  so 
successfully  managed  that  it  is  ranked  at  the  head  of  Aus¬ 
tria’s  manufactories. 

Pise  (Italy).  Earthen-ware.  XVth  century. 

Plymouth  (England).  Factory  started  by  Cookworthy ; 
first  production  of  hard  porcelain  in  England.  1760. 

Popoff.  Ceramist  at  Moscow,  Russia. 

Porcelain.  Artificial  substance  produced  by  the  mix¬ 
ture  of  a  special  sand  called  feldspath,  with  an  infusible 
white  clay,  called  silicate  of  alumina  or  kaolin.  The  dif¬ 
ference  between  the  hard  and  soft  porcelain  consists  in  the 
proportion  of  the  two  above  ingredients;  the  hard  poice- 
lain  containing  more  of  the  fusible  material,  requires  a 
greater  heat  for  its  baking,  say  4000°  Fahrenheit,  or  about 
that  of  silver  melting,  maintained  for  about  fort)'  houis. 
Some  makers  add  to  the  above  substances  soapstone,  bone, 
sparry  gypsum,  or  flint,  calcined  and  ground,  and  some¬ 
times  imperfect  white  pieces  of  china  broken  and  reduced 
to  powder.  Stone-ware  is  made  of  clay  and  flint ;  its  body 
is  still  more  dense  and  compact,  and  the  glaze  that  covers 
it  is  not  absolutely  necessary.  Reaumur,  in  his  experiments, 
tried  to  harden  the  glass  and  to  give  it  some  opacity  ;  while 
Bottcher  succeeded  in  rendering  the  stone-ware  more 
fusible  and  more  transparent.  Both  were  theoretically 
correct.  See  Soft  Porcelain. 


A  HELP  TO  THE  MEMORY. 


91 


Porcelain  Tower.  Building  of  octagonal  shape,  erected 
at  Nan-king.  It  is  nine  stories  high,  or  about  330  feet ; 
its  entire  surface  is  covered  with  porcelain  tiles  of  five  dif¬ 
ferent  colors.  Although  erected  more  than  400  years  ago, 
it  has  withstood  all  the  alternations  of  seasons  and  every 
variety  of  weather,  without  exhibiting  the  smallest  symp¬ 
tom  of  deterioration.  Finished  in  1431,  it  took  nineteen 
years  to  build  it;  its  cost  amounted  to  $3,750,000.  De¬ 
stroyed  in  the  insurrection  of  1862. 

Portland  or  Barberine  vase.  Specimen  of  antique 
glass  work  that  ornamented  the  Barberine  palace  for  two 
hundred  years.  Subsequently  bought  by  the  Duchess  of 
Portland,  it  is  generally  known  as  the  Portland  vase.  It 
was  found  about  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century,  in 
the  tomb  of  Alexander  Severus,  who  died  in  the  year  235. 
The  body  of  this  vase,  at  first  supposed  to  be  of  porcelain, 
is  made  of  deep  blue  glass,  ornamented  with  white  opaque 
figurines,  which  are  designed  and  sculptured  in  the  style 
of  cameos  with  a  degree  of  skill  truly  admirable.  Wedg¬ 
wood  paid  four  hundred  pounds  for  the  modeling  of  one 
copy.  He  executed  fifty  pieces,  for  each  of  which  he  ob¬ 
tained  but  fifty  pounds,  a  price  insufficient  to  cover  his  ex¬ 
penses. 

Rauenstein  (Germany).  Hard  porcelain.  1760. 

Ravena  (Italy).  Earthen-ware.  XVtli  century. 

Rhodes  (Asia-Minor).  Earthen-ware  ;  sometimes  called 
Persian.  XVIIIth  century. 

Rimini  (near  Ancone,  Italy).  Earthen-ware.  1 535- 

Rochelle,  la  (France).  Earthen-ware  manufactory  in 
operation  from  T705  to  1735;  started  afresh,  1743. 

Rockingham  (England).  Earthen-ware,  1757;  porce¬ 
lain,  1807. 

Rouen  (France).  Very  ancient  centre  of  earthen-ware 
productions;  floor  tiles,  1542;  importation  of  the  industry 
by  workmen  from  Holland,  Nevers,  and  Italy,  1641  ;  soft 
porcelain,  1647. 

Rudolstadt  (Thuringia).  Hard  porcelain.  1758. 

Sagonte  (Murviedro).  Famous  antique  potteries. 

Saint-Cloud  (France).  Centre  of  manufactories; 
earthen-ware,  1688;  knowledge  of  soft  porcelain  imported 
from  Saxony,  1702. 

Samian-ware.  English  antiquarians  give  that  name 


92 


A  HELP  TO  THE  MEMORY. 


to  an  ancient  kind  of  fine  Roman  pottery  of  a  brilliant 
red,  comparable  to  the  remarkable  article  made  at  Samos. 
Greece,  900  B.  C. 

Sarreguemines  (Mozelle,  France).  Fine  earthen* 
ware  factory.  1 7 69  to  present  day. 

Satzuma.  Very  ancient  pottery.  Remarkable  for  the 
elaborateness  and  the  finish  of  the  decoration.  The  mod¬ 
ern  Kioto  is  an  imitation  of  its  wares. 

Savone  (Italy).  Earthen-ware.  XVIIth  century. 

Saxony  (Germany).  See  Bottcher,  Dresden,  Messein. 

Sceaux  (Seine,  France).  Fine  earthen-ware,  1747;  soft 
porcelain,  I7S°- 

Seville  (Spain).  Fine  earthen-ware  or  soft  porcelain, 
1768;  hard  porcelain,  1770;  also  pipe  clay. 

Sevres  (France).  See  Vincennes.  The  constant  in¬ 
crease  of  the  demand  for  the  porcelain  manufactured  at 
Vincennes  necessitated  removal  to-  a  better  location,  and 
in  1754  the  erection  of  the  present  large  factory  was  begun, 
the  construction  having  required  two  years.  The  two  sorts 
of  porcelain  were  manufactured  till  1804.  Louis  the  Fif¬ 
teenth  having,  in  176°;  bought  the  rights  of  the  Vincennes 
proprietors,  gave  a  great  impulse  to  the  new  works,  and 
Madame  de  Pompadour  having  declared  herself  the  pro¬ 
tectress  of  the  ceramic  art,  the  supremacy  of  the  royal 
factory  was  soon  recognized  through  the  whole  of  Europe. 
A  royal  ordinance,  published  in  1 766  and  1  enewed  in  1 784, 
forbade  all  other  manufacturers  to  use  any  gold  in  the  deco¬ 
ration  of  their  wares,  with  the  exception  of  the  privileged 
factory.  After  the  war  of  1814,  all  the  stock  found  at 
Sevres  being  abandoned  to  auction  sale,  unprincipled  pat¬ 
ties  bought  great  quantities  of  the  pieces,  and  by  the  ap¬ 
plication  of  chemicals  were  able  to  remove  the  enamel 
and  decoration;  then,  ornamenting  the  pieces  again,  ac¬ 
cording  to  the  oldest  patterns,  and  selling  them  as  ancient 
makes,  scandalously  acquired  fortunes.  To  detect  these 
frauds  necessitates  special  study  and  an  accurate  knowledge 
of  the  shapes  corresponding  to  the  different  epochs.  1  he 
finest  collections  of  Sevres-ware  are  to  be  found  in  Eng¬ 
land;  that  possessed  by  the  queen,  in  Buckingham  palace, 
bought  by  George  the  Fourth  during  the  revolutionary 
events,  exceeding  by  far  all  the  others. 

Shelton  (England).  Manufactory  of  brown  and  white 


A  HELP  TO  THE  MEMORY.  93 

stone-ware,  started  by  Thomas  Miles,  1685  ;  red  and  white 
stone-ware,  1743;  Wedgwood  imitations,  1770. 

Shiba.  See  Awata. 

Shinsha.  Cream-colored  porcelain,  fancy  shapes,  imi¬ 
tations  from  nature,  dark  green  enamel,  pieces  soiled  wiih 
brown  mud. 

Soft  Porcelain.  Invented  in  1695.  This  sort  of  porce¬ 
lain  can  support,  without  softening,  a  greater  heat  than  suf¬ 
fices  to  melt  glass.  It  is  semi-transparent,  has  a  vitreous 
fracture,  and  returns  a  clear  sound  when  struck  with  a 
hard  body.  Harder  but  not  so  brittle  as  glass,  it  bears 
without  injury  sudden  and  considerable  changes  of  tem¬ 
perature.  Can  be  scratched  with  a  steel  blade.  Exten¬ 
sively  manufactured  at  Sevres,  the  making  of  it  was  aban¬ 
doned,  the  proportion  of  arsenic  entering  its  composition 
having  proved  hurtful  to  the  workmen  employed. 

Spode.  Ceramist  at  Stoke-on-Trent,  England,  1784. 

Staffordshire  (England).  The  potter’s  art  in  that 
country  is  supposed  to  date  from  its  invasion  by  Romans; 
Burslem  was  the  first  noted  centre  of  manufacture,  1686; 
made  famous  by  the  discoveries  of  Wedgwood,  six 
different  specimens  of  pottery  being  brought  to  notice 
between  1760  and  1762. 

Stockholm  (Sweden).  Earthen-ware.  1770. 

Stoke-upon-Trent  (England).  Ceramic  centre  cele¬ 
brated  for  its  great  potters:  Spode,  1784;  Minton,  1791  ; 
Minton’s  son,  1837,  fine  earthen-ware;  also  Copeland’s 
Parian  marble. 

Strasburg  (France).  Manufacture  of  clay  pipes,  1709; 
earthen-ware  goods,  1721. 

Swinton  (England).  Earthen-ware  and  porcelain  fac¬ 
tory  erected  by  the  Marquis  of  Rockingham,  1757.  Bought 
by  Malpass  in  1765,  and  sold  to  Thomas  Bingley,  1807. 

Talavera-de-la-Rena  (Spain).  Enamelled  potteries, 
XVIth  century. 

Three  Porcelain  Bottles.  Trade-mark  of  a  large 
Delft  pottery  factory,  founded  by  Jacobus  Pynacker,  1672. 

Three  Bells.  Trade-mark  of  another  Delft  manufac¬ 
tory,  started  by  the  widow  Simon  de  Mesch,  1671. 

Tokey  or  Tokio.  See  Awata. 

Tournay  (Belgium).  Earthen-ware,  1650;  soft  porce. 
lain,  1751. 


94 


A  HELP  TO  THE  MEMORY. 


Tsou-Tchi.  Japanese  porcelain. 

Urbin  or  Urbania  (Italy).  Name  given  by  the  pope 
Urban  VIII.  to  the  town  of  Castel-Durante.  Earthen¬ 
ware  and  majolica.  XVIIth  century. 

Urbino  (Italy).  Earthen  pottery,  1482. 

Valence  (Spain).  Earthen  pottery  with  metallic  re¬ 
flection,  1528. 

Valenciennes  (Nord,  France).  Earthen-ware,  1735; 
soft  and  hard  porcelain,  1785. 

Venice  (Italy).  Earthen-ware,  1535 ;  soft  and  hard 
porcelain,  1740-1812. 

Vienna  (Austria).  Porcelain  factory,  founded  by  a 
refugee  from  Meissen,  1720;  under  the  protection  of 
Marie-Theresa  and  Joseph  the  Second.  An  imperial  porce¬ 
lain  manufactory,  specially  devoted  to  purely  artistic  goods. 

Vincennes  (Seine,  France).  In  1735  a  fugitive 
workman,  transmitted  from  St.  Cloud,  a  place  where 
some  common  productions  were  already  made  in 
1695,  to  Chantilly,  the  art  of  making  soft  porcelain. 
About  the  year  1730,  Macquer,  following  the  instructions 
of  Reaumur,  first  produced  the  fine  porcelain  to  which 
Sevres  owes  its  great  renown  \  a  singular  circumstance 
having  led  to  the  discovery  at  St.  Yriex,  a  village  near 
Limoges,  of  the  earth  corresponding  to  the  pe-tun-tse  and 
Kaolin  of  the  Chinese.  In  1740,  the  Dubois  brothers 
were  charged  by  the  government  to  erect  a  special 
laboratory  in  the  works,  but  their  incompetency  and  mis¬ 
conduct  caused  their  dismissal,  and  Gravand  took  their 
place.  In  1745,  Charles  Adam,  a  noted  sculptor,  obtained 
a  monopoly  for  thirty  years,  and  having  secured  as  assist¬ 
ants,  the  best  chemists,  artists  and  painters,  piogiessed 
rapidly  in  the  manufacture.  See  Sevres. 

Vista- Alegre  (Portugal).  Hard  porcelain.  XVIth 

century.  . 

Wallendorf  (Saxony).  Hard  and  soft  porcelain. 

1762. 

Wedgwood  (Josiah).  One  of  the  greatest  English 
ceramists.  From  a  very  low  path  in  life,  and  without 
education,  he  elevated  himself  to  the  highest  rank  of 
science,  merit,  honor  and  integrity.  While  at  Burslem, 
England,  he  invented  the  china  specialty  bearing  his  name 
also  the  special  cream-colored  article  called  queen’s-ware. 


A  HELP  TO  THE  MEMORY. 


95 


He  visited  the  once  celebrated  factory  of  M  esse  in  in  1790, 
and  confident  that  it  could  be  restored  to  its  previous  ac¬ 
tivity,  offered  to  pay  yearly  3000  pounds  sterling  for  the 
privilege  of  running  it  himself;  but  his  offer  was  refused. 
He  created  in  England  one  of  the  most  prosperous  ceramic 
establishments.  Born  in  Burslem,  Staffordshire,  I73°> 
died  at  the  age  of  sixty-five. 

^Worcester  (England).  This  well  known  factory  was 
founded  in  1751  by  Doctor  Wall,  the  inventor  of  the 
printing  process  of  decoration.  The  first  articles  made 
were  white  and  blue,  in  imitation  of  the  Nankin  wares ; 
but  soon  after,  the  Japanese,  Dresden,  and  Sevres  makes 
were  copied ;  also  Limoges  enamel  imitations. 

Yarmouth  (England).  Ancient  ceramic  manufactory  ; 
also  Wedgwood  imitations. 

Zurich  (Switzerland).  The  making  of  earthen-ware  in 
that  country  is  traced  to  the  XVIIth  century.  The  making 
of  hard  porcelain  dates  from  1760. 


INDEX. 


CHAPTER 

I. 

II. 

III. 

IV. 
V. 

VI. 

VII. 

VIII. 

IX. 

X. 

XI. 

XII. 

XIII. 

XIV. 
XV. 

XVI. 

XVII. 
XVIII. 

XIX. 

XX. 

XXL 

XXII. 

XXIII. 

XXIV. 

XXV. 

XXVI. 

XXVII. 

XXVIII. 


XXIX. 

XXX. 


XXXI. 

XXXII. 

(96) 


TAGE 


Cleaning  the  pieces .  5 

Fine  and  coarse  work .  10 

A  cement  not  yet  discovered .  12 

Cementing  work .  *5 

Different  cements— Prepared  glue .  17 

Silicate  of  potash .  . .  1 9 

Gum  arabic  or  acacia .  22 

Gum  adragant .  22 

Gum  shellac . . . 24 

Liquid  gum  shellac — Some  substitutes.  ...  3° 

Chinese  cement . 31 

Putty  mending .  32 

Fish  glue . 33 

To  cement  shell,  ivory,  vulcanite,  etc.  ...  35 

Some  odd  compounds. .  35 

Filling  up  small  openings .  37 

Supplying  larger  pieces .  39 

Drilling  and  riveting .  43 

A  powerful  but  delicate  tool .  49 

Colors,  varnishes  and  brushes .  53 

Different  modes  of  painting .  56 

About  the  grounds— Different  whites -  59 

Polishing  painted  surfaces .  63 

Regilding  work— Metallic  reflections -  64 

Biscuit  or  bisque— Parian  marble .  67 

Cloisonne  and  enamel  work . .  •  69 

Bohemian  or  Venetian  glass— Cut  crystal..  72 
Metal  rings,  mountings  and  bronze  orna¬ 
ments  .  73 

Terra-cotta  and  clay  work. .  ._ .  75 


Repairing,  painting  and  bronzing  on  plaster 

castings .  7s 

Hints  about  cleaning  delicate  ornaments.  .  80 
A  help  to  the  memory .  °2 


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